20 Barlow, Nesting Habits of White-tailed Kite. \j^ 



round in shape. Both birds remained perched on a white oak a 

 short distance away, and showed little concern. 



This year I did not visit these birds until March 29, when a 

 short search brought one and then both birds to view. They flew 

 about uneasily, uttering their plaintive whistle, while I looked for 

 the nest. Presently it was found in the extreme top of a slender 

 oak, thirty-five feet from the ground, and contained four eggs 

 which were fresh. The nest was 18 inches in diameter and lined 

 with long, dry grass. Two of the eggs of this set are of the bright 

 coloration. The eggs of this pair of Kites are considerably 

 rounder than any others I have taken. The set is now in the 

 collection of the U. S. National Museum. 



During the early spring of the present year my collecting trips 

 took me through the hills to a great degree and here I found a - 

 pair of Kites located in a most picturesque spot. On February 

 23, the birds were observed in a canon, giving chase to a Western 

 Red-tailed Hawk, which had evidently trespassed upon their ter- 

 ritory, after which they slowly flew back and perched on a fence 

 on the hillside. On March 8, the nest was found containing two 

 eggs. Both birds were near but showed little anxiety when I 

 climbed to the nest. On March 14, I again visited the nest, this 

 time during a shower, and both birds were very quiet. The male 

 was doing look-out duty on a favorite post of a fence bordering 

 the caiion, while the female was on the nest. She left when I 

 began to climb the tree and joined her mate. The nest held four 

 eggs, which are quite round in shape, and two of them are of the 

 handsome reddish coloration. The nest was fifteen inches across 

 and six inches thick, with quite a depression in the center, as was 

 necessary, for the nest was 50 feet from the ground in the top- 

 most branch and subject to high winds which swept up the caiion. 

 The birds flew high overhead, uttering their plaintive whistle but 

 making no attack. The nest was beautifully situated, being in 

 the top of a high oak which was covered with streamers of Span- 

 ish moss, and the view down the canon was unusually picturesque. 



The birds were observed at different points for three weeks 

 when they finally began a new nest in a small scraggly oak near 

 the head of the caiion. When not at work on the nest both birds 

 would sit for long intervals on a dead tree near by, without mak- 



