no BIXDS'-NESTS. 



female of this species with the red spot upon the head. 

 I have seen a number of pairs of them, and in no in- 

 stance have I seen the mother bird marked with red. 



The male was in full plumage, and I reluctantly shot 

 him for a specimen. Passing by the place again next 

 day I paused a moment to note how matters stood. 

 I confess it was not without some compunctions that 

 I heard the cries of the young birds, and saw the 

 widowed mother, her cares now doubled, hastening to 

 and fro in the solitary woods. She would occasionally 

 pause expectantly on the trunk of a tree, and utter a 

 loud call. 



It usually happens when the male of any species is 

 killed during the breeding season, that the female soon 

 procures another mate. There are, most likely, always 

 a few unmated birds, of both sexes, within a given 

 range, and through these the broken links may be re- 

 stored. Audubon or Wilson, I forget which, tells of 

 a pair offish-hawks, or ospreys, that built their nest in 

 an ancient oak. The male was so zealous in the de- 

 fense of the young that it actually attacked with beak 

 and claw a person who attempted to climb into his nest, 

 putting his face and eyes in great jeopardy. Arming 

 himself with a heavy club, the climber felled the gallant 

 bird to the ground and killed him. In the course of a 

 few days the female had procured another mate. But 

 naturally enough the step-father showed none of the 

 spirit and pluck in defense of the brood that had been 

 displayed by the original parent. When danger was 



