"iVi.i j II \tiiaway, Notes on Rhode Island Hints. 553 



Pigeons bred abundantly in Rhode Island in the Pigeon Countrie." Mr. 

 P. T. Jencks of West Banington, K. I., our veteran ornithologist, has 

 written me as follows: " Once in West Greenwich, a Wild Pigeon flew from 

 a pine tree to another near by and I shot it, a beautiful male. I went and 

 looked where he flew from and found a nest with one egg which I took. 

 I don't remember whal disposition \v;is m:idc of these specimens. It was 

 close to 1880, probably in May, but more likely before 1880 than afterward. 

 Shooting Wild Pigeons and Mourning Doves are two different propositions, 

 the first was easy the latter generally not." I have in my collection a 

 mounted adult male taken on the " Whittaker " grounds in Cranston in 

 October, 1854, by Percia Aldrich and mounted by him. What is undoubt- 

 edly the last one shol in this state is a young bird taken by Walter A. Angell 

 November 2, 1886, in Cranston, now in my collection. Mr. William A. 

 Sprague, of Providence, saw one sitting on a telegraph wire in Glocester 

 on September 25, 1888, which allowed a near approach and remained on the 

 wire until he was some distance away. This is the last instance that I 

 know of its occurrence here. 



Cathartes aura septentrionalis. Turkey Vulture. — I have a 

 mounted specimen in my collection shot by Le Roy Knowles at Point Judith 

 on June Hi, 1008. When first seen the bird was perched on a stone wall 

 and appealed to he much interested in Mr. Knowles' chickens. Fearing 

 that the vulture might molest them, Mr. Knowles shot him. Miss Eliza- 

 beth Dickens has written me that one was shot on Block Island, April 12, 

 1912, and was mounted and in the possession of Lycurgus Negus. 



Falco peregrinus anatum. Duck Hawk. — The following very inter- 

 est ing account of the occurrence of this species on Block Island was given 

 me by Miss Elizabeth Dickens. " Grey Bonnet " the tyrannus falcon, 

 appeared here April 26, 1912. He is a foeman worthy of my steel, but I've 

 never been able to kill one yet although I have made the feathers fly a 

 number of times. One can't but admire his wisdom and cunning, and the 

 wonderful feats he performs in air. They are very common with us both 

 spring and fall. Have recorded forty-six during the fall of 1912." 



Falco sparverius sparverius. Sparrow Hawk. — Recorded by Howe 

 & Sturtevant in ' Birds of Rhode Island' as an uncommon summer resident. 

 There has been a decided increase in their numbers during the last ten years, 

 and now they may be called a regular summer resident, breeding locally 

 and often wintering. I took a set of four fresh eggs on May 26, 190:;, in 

 Warwick which were laid in a hollow cavity in a dead tree. A pair occu- 

 pied an old woodpecker's hole in the side of an ice house in Cranston and on 

 May 24, 1907, I found a set of five eggs incubated ten days. The female 

 would not leave the nest and I had to remove the eggs from under her 

 with a scoop net. Another pair were in an old flicker's hole in a telegraph 

 pole eighl feet up, be>ide a much travelled highway in Cranston. It con- 

 tained four fresh eggs on May 14, 1911. The bird was in the nest and 

 would not Leave. Inserting a BCOOp net she struck at and grasped it with 

 her feet and was pulled out clinging to it. I saw two individuals in Janu- 



