HAWKS 



thirty-seven feet up in a crotch formed by the trunk and three 

 branching limbs. This nest of sticks and twigs was lined with 

 Usnea,hark and a few sprays of hemlock. Outside this nest 

 measured thirty-three by twenty -two inches, the inner diameter 

 was eight inches and the depth of the cavity was three inches. 



Both Hawks were said to be rather vociferous, sailing over- 

 head and calling "kee-wooh, kee-wooh" in shrill tones. On 

 May 5, 1897, these eggs were taken and were nearly fresh. 

 They measure 2.16x1.76, 2.10x1.74, 2.14x1.70. I have 

 heard the birds utter a scolding " cac, cac, cac " and a long 

 whistled "whee" when very much excited. 



The incubation period is twenty-seven days, the newly 

 hatched young are covered with a pale creamy or slightly 

 yellowish white down. In nests with young there are often 

 found mice, rats, squirrels, frogs and sometimes chickens. 

 The old birds feed on similar material, various mammals, 

 snakes and other reptiles constituting the greater portion of 

 their food, but small birds, game birds and poultry are also 

 taken to some extent. They certainly destroy enough injurious 

 mammals to offset the damage they do to poultry. 



They will sit motionless on a perch for hours, greatly 

 resembling a stub, but also delight to sport in the air, flying in 

 circles overhead in a seemingly aimless manner. When engaged 

 in hunting they seem more business like, sweeping along not 

 far from the ground and pouncing on mice and other similar 

 mammals in the fields and meadows. 



The ground color of the eggs varies from whitish to pale 

 yellowish or bluish white and they are generally more or less 

 spotted, blotched and smeared with various shades of reddish 

 brown and fainter markings of pearl gray or lavender. As a 

 rule the eggs are rather heavily and handsomely marked, 

 especially toward the larger end, and occasionally an egg will 

 be found with one large confluent blotch covering the larger 

 end entirely. Both birds help in building the nest and take 

 turns in incubating and feeding the young. 



