March, 1885.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



tliickcst uncleibnisli in a very restricted locality." 

 Tliriiiiuh tlie foiirtesy of Mr. Lloyd I had the 

 pleasure of examining a specimen — a fine male — 

 taken during the Fall migration. 



Tkaii.i.'s Flycatcher, {Empidonar piisilhix 

 tiriilU). No record of the breeding of this .species 

 south of Mis.souri, had come under my notice. It 

 wa.s therefore with con.sideriible surprise tliat I 

 read in one of Mr. Lloyd's reports from San 

 Angelo, Tex., "Breeds in .Tune, two clutches 

 taken of four each." I wrote, asking if there 

 was anj' mistake about it, and he answers, "The 

 Traill's Flycatcher is correct. I shot three in 

 June, 1882, and sent them to mj^ friend. Mr. 

 Everett Smith, who said they were typical B. 

 triiiUi. He diagno.sed the various allied species, 

 * * * .sending me at the same time eastern 

 specimens. I compared one tliis .Tuly that was 

 also typical." 



Lewis's Woodpeckek, (McUaiirpes lorqiialtis). 

 The same observer has also added this species to 

 I he birds of Texas. It had previously been 

 brought into the Mississippi Valley by Dr. Wat- 

 son, who took it at Ellis. Kans., as reported by 

 Col. Go.ss in his "Birds of Kansas." Mr. Lloj'd 

 says of his specimens: " Two .were here (at San 

 Angelo,) before Christmas, and four arrived after 

 our bad Christmas norther. I secured a male 

 and a female; a friend shot another but lost it, 

 two left during the snow of .January 20th, and 

 one still remains," 



Hawk Notes. 



BY .1. W. rHESTON, BAXTER, lA. 



The Marsh Harrier. This Hawk has been 

 a favorite with me not more for his usefulness 

 than for his trim build and graceful flight. Many 

 a fine Spring morning have I seen the male fly to 

 a great height, then close his wings and fall and 

 rise in easy, long curves, almost to the earth, then 

 ascend, turning over and over, uttering a loud 

 chattering cry. This curious performance is 

 frequently continued for a great distance. 



During the Spring of 1873, while at a piece of 

 work near a grassy marsh, I noticed a female 

 Harrier flying over the marsh in search of food, 

 returning at short intervals to a spot which 

 proved to be her nest. This nest differed from 

 the ordinary heap of grass ; it being firmly built 

 of a large number of sticks and twigs, lined with 

 grass and feathers, and placed on top of a high 

 tussock. 



A large number of sets collected by me in pre- 

 vious seasons contained from four to six eggs 

 each. One exceptional nest having eight eggs 



ranging from fresh to well incubated. The uesi 

 of the usual form was on the ground, in a low 

 Hazel thicket on a high ridge. 



Swainson's Hawk.— a pair of Swainson's 

 Hawks having selected an old Crow's nest in a 

 small Oak sapling near a field in which I was 

 ploughing a few Springs since, I had good oppor- 

 tunity for observing some of their liabits. For a 

 number of days they were flying about over the 

 fields and limber, gathering material for the nest ; 

 being partial to a stalk-field, from which they 

 carried many pieces of husk. Occasionally one 

 would fly close over my team, caring nothing for 

 my presence, even brildli/ pouncing upon a field- 

 mouse only a few rods away, retiring to a fence 

 to devour its \wey. In course of a week the 

 female stayed on the nest, and supposing the eggs 

 had been laid, I climbed the sapling and found 

 but one egg, which I left several days, and on 

 returning found two eggs. One was elongated, 

 the other of the usual shape ; both were white, 

 with rich brown spots. Sets collected by mc 

 have mostly contained three eggs, much resem- 

 bling those of the Red-tailed Hawk, but smaller. 

 Nests were old ones, which had been occupied by 

 other birds. One exception, was a handsome 

 nest in a very tall Hickory, and hiid not the birds 

 been identified, the nest would have passed as 

 that of the Red-tail. 



Although this Hawk is careless at times, and 

 appears sluggish, yet he is capable of swift and 

 graceful flight ; often sailing to an immense 

 height, from which he will descend in easy 

 curves. 



An interesting feature of their migration i.s the 

 habit of gathering in vast flocks as they proceed. 



The Migrations of Birds. 



extracts fro.m an article in tiij; "edin- 



BURGII REVFEW" for JANUARY, 1885. 



In any attempt to explain phenomena so re- 

 markable as some of the periodic movements of 

 birds, a knowledge of the facts relating to them is 

 absolutely indispensable, and some progress has 

 doubtless been made since the period, not very 

 long ago, when naturalists gravely debated the 

 pros and cons of the hybernation of swallows in 

 pools and ponds, since that more ancient time 

 when the augurs watched the flght of birds and 

 found an omen of good or evil according as the 

 Eagle might take its flight from left to right or 

 the contrary. But the longer migrations of the 

 feathered races, especially when they cross the 

 sea, and not always by the nearest and easiest 

 route, are still sufficiently imzzling. It will be 



