PHOTOGRAPHING NESTS 27 



other more grey. They might, those weird 

 creatures in the tree, have been elves of a Wrack- 

 ham's pen, with their great round penetrating 

 eyes and taloned fierceness. While I examined 

 the nest, the parents perched in trees quite close 

 to me and hoo-hoo'd continually in alarm and 

 anxiety. 



Finally we left the young to their parents' 

 care, after some trouble to secure a photograph 

 of them. 



BEAVEB RIVER, 



May 16. 



THE AMERICAN GOSHAWK 



To-day found nest of this species and 

 established identity beyond doubt by securing 

 the female. 



The nest was not very high up in a black 

 poplar tree of a total height of some 40 to 50 feet. 

 On approaching the . tree the female Goshawk 

 swooped down from it, and again and again 

 passed close to my head, shrieking shrilly as she 

 did so. The male bird was, meantime, nowhere 

 to be seen, nor did he put in an appearance that 

 day, or the following day, while we remained in 

 the neighbourhood. The nest was composed of 

 dead twigs and was lined with dry pieces of bark. 

 It contained three very round white soiled eggs 

 \}^ x 2'25 in. the full complement, as the 

 female when skinned and dissected contained no 

 further embryo egg-body. 



To obtain a photograph of the nest's interior, 

 Joe and I made a ladder by felling two young 

 poplars 25 feet long and setting them against 



