'J 1 6 Allen on the Breeding Habits of the Fish Haivk. [October 



strings of the eggs of the conch, an old rake, a blacking-brush, 

 part of an oar, a toy boat (schooner) foremast and sail with jib 

 still attached; boards from boxes, an old used-up broom, a small 

 board with a hsh line wound on it and fish hooks still attached ; 

 corn stalks with roots and earth adhering ; large masses of sod 

 \v\t\\ g-fowino- gvix?,?, as turned up by the plow ; many long bones 

 and ribs of sheep and cattle from the hill pastures ; large quanti- 

 ties of cow dung, and, strangest of all, bleached skulls of sheep 

 on the top of the nest, apparently placed there, on account of their 

 whiteness, for purpose of ornamentation ; a shoe, pieces of sail 

 and clothing, etc. ; in short, everything that could be found on the 

 beach, in the fields, or about the dooryard was included. The 

 trees were overweighted and ready to fall, and in 18S5 I found 

 both overturned and new nests built upon the old ones that had 

 fallen. (One of these is shown in Plate V.) 



The birds were so tame that they would not only alight but 

 settle down on one of the nests while I was examining the other. 

 The parent bird showed little fear and continued to swoop down 

 at me in a menacing way while I was on the top of the nest. 

 The nest proper was about four feet across, nearly level, with a 

 depression in the center six inches in diameter and about three 

 inches deep, lined with seaweed, dry grass, sheep's wool and 

 feathers. 



In the wooded part of the island the nests were very numerous, 

 the larger trees in the interior being all occupied, while near the 

 edge of the wood nearly every tree had a nest, and some of them 

 two or three each. On the outer edges of the wood and out in 

 the open land were isolated low scrub-oak and thorn trees, which 

 also were used for nesting sites, the nests in such instances being 

 not over five to ten feet from the ground. Some of them I could 

 see into readily from the ground ; and if I waited patiently for 

 half an hour the birds would alight on the nests within thirty feet 

 of me. One of these nests contained an old broken axe which 

 had been noticed by Mr. Franklin Benner two years before, a 

 boot-jack and an old straw hat. 



Back of these woods was a sheep barn, on the roof of which, 

 at the south end, was a bulky Fish Hawk's nest, which I exam- 

 ined in 1S79. By Mr. Jerome's request it was entirely destroyed 

 in 1 88 1, but I found it rebuilt in 1SS5. The barn was in constant 

 use. Near it was a small wild cherry tree on which was a small 

 nest. It was occupied each year I saw it. 



