FALCONID.E — THE FALCONS. 189 



frequently killed by their excrement or the saline cliaracter of their food and 

 tlie materials of their nest. The bird is bold and confiding, often constructing 

 its nest near a frequented path, or even upon a highway. Near the eastern 

 extremity of the Wiscasset (Me.) bridge, and directly upon the stage-road, a 

 nest of this Hawk was occupied several years. It was upon the top of a 

 low pine-tree, was readily accessible, the tree being easily climbed, and was 

 so near the road that, in passing, the young birds coidd frequently be heard 

 in their nest, uttering their usual cries for food. 



The nests are usually composed externally of large sticks, often piled to 

 the lieight of five feet, with a diameter of three. In a nest described by 

 AVilson, he found, intermixed with a mass of sticks, corn-stalks, sea-weed, 

 wet turf, mullein-stalks, etc., the whole lined with dry sea-grass {Zostera 

 marina), and large enough to fill a cart and be no inconsiderable load for a 

 horse. 



AVhen the nest of this Hawk is visited, especially if it contain young, the 

 male bird will frequently make violent, and sometimes dangerous, attacks 

 iipon tlie intruder. In one instance, in Maine, the talons of one of these 

 Hawks penetrated through a thick cloth cap, and laid bare the scalp of a lad 

 who had climbed to its nest, and very nearly hurled him to' the ground. A 

 correspondent quoted by Wilson narrates a nearly similar instance of coura- 

 geous and desperate defence of the young. They are very devoted in their 

 attentions to their mates, and supply them with food while on the nest. 

 Wilson relates a touching instance of this devotion, where a female that 

 liad lost one leg, and was unable to fish for herself, was abundantly supplied 

 by her mate. 



In some localities tlie Fish Hawk nests in large communities, as many 

 as three hundred pairs having been observed nesting on one small island. 

 When a new nest is to be constructed, the whole community has been 

 known to take part in its completion. They are remarkably tolerant 

 towards smaller birds, and permit the Purple Grakle {Quiscalus purpureus) 

 to construct its nests in the interstices of their own. Wilson observed no 

 less than four of these nests thus clustered in a single Fish Hawk's nest, 

 with a fifth on an adjoining branch. 



The eggs of the Fish-Hawk are usually three in number, often only two, 

 and more rarely four. Tliey are subject to great variations as to. their 

 ground-color, the number, shade, and distribution of the blotches of secon- 

 dary coloring with which they are marked, and also as to their size and shape. 

 Their ground-color is most frequently a creamy-white, ^\•ith a very percepti- 

 ble tinge of red. This varies, however, from an almost pure shade of cream, 

 without any admixture, to so deep a shade of red that white ceases to be 

 noticeable. Their markings are combinations of an almost endless variation 

 of shades of umber-brown, a light claret-brown, an intermingling of both 

 these shades, with occasional intermixtures of purplish-brown. They vary 

 in leno'th from 2.56 to 2.24 inches, and in l)readth from 1.88 to 1.69 inches. 



