BIRDS OF PREY 149 



In case the bird should happen to be temporarily 

 absent from an occupied nest, as is often the case, 

 especially before incubation has begun, one should 

 know how to examine the nest itself for signs. One 

 of the best signs is when downy feathers cling to the 

 nest. If these are light-colored because freshly 

 broken, one can see that something is doing. The 

 sticks of a new nest stand up crisp and strong, whereas 

 in an old one they are apt to be rotted down and sod- 

 den together. Birds of prey do not use dead leaves 

 in building, as do squirrels, yet some will build a plat- 

 form of sticks on top of an old squirrel's nest, so one 

 must look sharp in every case for possible signs. 



It is very desirable to use the field-glass to see these 

 details clearly, which are not easy to detect unaided 

 in a lofty tree, especially a thick evergreen. The 

 sharp-shin prefers an evergreen, but the other species 

 will use a deciduous tree just about as readily, though 

 preference differs in different localities. 



The finding of the nests of hawks and owls gives 

 the very best sort of an opportunity to study them, 

 and particularly to secure photographs. One can also 

 learn a great deal about the habits of these wary, 

 secretive birds, few of which are known adequately 

 and intimately. To illustrate, let me tell a story. 

 I pitched my umbrella-tent a little way from a tree 

 in a hemlock wood, on which, thirty-five feet from 

 the ground, was the nest of a sharp-shinned hawk. 

 Only one of the eggs had hatched, and the youngster, 

 nearly ready to fly, was hungry enough for a whole 



