26 QUARTERLY BULLETIN. 



Pandion haliadus, Cuv. Fish Hawk. About fifty pairs were 

 breeding on Hog Island, which is about ten miles from Cobb's, and is a 

 very favorable locality, as it is covered with a dense growth of pines 

 which have, however, been killed off at one end of the island by the 

 sand being blown up year after year, and in these dead trees are the 

 Fish Hawks nests, some fifteen feet from the ground, and some less. 

 Two were found placed on the ground, although it was evident 

 they were once in a tree, above' ground, thus showing the reluc- 

 tance this species has of leaving its chosen site. Some few pair 

 bad nests in live trees in the centre of the island, which were unat- 

 tainable by me. The nests are very large, some of them would fill 

 a tip-cart, and the birds seem to add to them year after year ; those 

 on the ground being evidently the oldest, and these were fully six 

 feet across. The eggs were all nearly hatched, and in only one case 

 did I find young, but they are usually laid by the 15th of April. Sev- 

 eral pairs were also found on Mockhorn Island, in the Heronry. 



JEgialitis wilsonius, Cass. Wilson's Plover. " Stuttering Bird" of 

 the inhabitants. This is comparatively a rare bird on the island, only 

 about a dozen pairs breeding, and their eggs are very hard to find, 

 being laid on the dry sand above high water mark, in a slight de- 

 pression, among shells, and usually in the localities chosen by the 

 Least Terns, and wero in all cases three in number. The birds were 

 very shy and seldom seen about their nests. 



Hamalopus palliat us, Temm. Oyster Catcher. "Rain Crow." This 

 species was formerly quite common during the breeding season, but 

 it has been driven away until now there are not more than half a dozen 

 pairs on the whole island, and these were distributed over its entire 

 length. Their nests were more than half a mile apart, and all of 

 them had been robbed by the eggers excepting two, both of which 

 contained three eggs, and I believe this to be their full complement. 

 The nests are slight hollows in the dry sand, lined with small bits of 

 shells, and are quite easily found. The eggs are much Sought for by 

 the inhabitants, owing to their size and delicious flavor, which latter 

 quality I cannot testify to, as none were eaten while I was there ; the 

 few obtained found their way into my collection. The birds are 

 never seen in the vicinity of the nests during the heat of the day, and 

 are very shy at all times. 



Tolanus semipalmatus, Temm. Willet. Breeds in large numbers on 

 the island, and are not molested while nesting, as they are left for 

 the fall shooting, and this is the only species that can enjoy the privi- 

 lege of breeding in peace, the eggs of all the others are subjected to 

 all the mysteries of the cuisine. Their usual nesting place is on the 

 higher parts of the island, among the grass, where they conceal 

 their nests so effectually that it is only by flushing the female directly 

 from the eggs that the nests can be discovered. In this situation 



