THE NEW SPORT OF “HAWKING” 
265 
of a great hawk as she sat upon the nest. Our glances met, 
and she instantly flew. The hollow of the nest concealed the 
contents from view. A week later I returned with a friend, 
and climbing-irons. The hawk flew as we neared the nest. 
My friend climbed and found two eggs, while I took a pic¬ 
ture of the nest and his descent from it. 
The Red-tailed Hawk builds the largest nest that is ordi¬ 
narily found in the woods, yet individual nests vary. The 
one just mentioned was so flimsy an affair that I should have 
dismissed it without further thought, had I not seen the 
hawk. The year before, in fact, I passed it by, when it was 
undoubtedly occupied. It was very unlike the first one that 
I found, near the village of Middleboro. I was searching 
a tract of very tall pines, when, on the border of a wood road, 
I saw an enormous bristling mass of sticks, very high up, 
the sight of which instantly quickened my pulse. A stick with 
which I tried to strike the tree broke off in my hands at the 
first attempt. But the great Red-tail above heard it, and 
sailed off gracefully as a fleecy cloud. How I hurried up that 
tree, and then gazed and gazed at the two large eggs that 
lay in the slight hollow of that great platform nearly a yard 
across, on a slight lining of moss, bark, and pine twigs ! This 
bird was not demonstrative, but after circling and sounding 
the usual harsh squeal for a few moments, departed, followed 
by a few angry crows. 
Consistency seems to mark the whole career of this red¬ 
tailed tribe. The bird is big, lays big eggs in a big nest, and 
that earlier than any other hawk. For convenience’ sake w'e 
look for the nests of the Red-tail and Red-shoulder at the 
same time, but in fact the former is fully a week ahead, on the 
average. I have even known of incubated eggs being found 
in the last week of March, when snow was on the ground, 
and the weather quite cold. 
