July 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



99 



find was by a small gi-eenish looking pool of 

 water with three dead steers lying around the 

 edge of it. From a large nest in a tree near by 

 I flushed a Ferruginous Rough-leg, (Archihuteo 

 Ferrugineus). There was no mistaking this 

 beautiful bird the moment she was in the air, 

 and I did not shoot her. 



In the nest were three well-grown birds ; not 

 so large, however, but what they were still 

 snowy white in color, and this find helps to 

 strengthen my previous statement that the 

 Ferruginous Rough-leg nests about one month 

 earlier than the other hawks. Their eggs are 

 invariably two or three in number. Nest very 

 large. There are but few species of hawk's 

 eggs that can approach those of this species in 

 richness of color and size, and I have yet to 

 find the "set'" that will make as good an ap- 

 pearance in a cabinet as these do. 



I had the good fortune that afternoon of 

 coming across two nests of the American Ra- 

 ven, {Corvus corax carnivorua) , They were in 

 willow trees about a quarter of a mile apart, 

 and the four ravens were very niuch worked 

 up over our arrival. Taking flight thej^ circled 

 round and round us, over head, like a hawk, 

 until they almost disappeared from sight and 

 we could hardly see them above. We would 

 occasionally hear that hoarse cry that is so 

 characteristic of this bird, come from the clouds 

 as it seemed. 



The nests were about the neatest and best 

 made nest of a large bird that I have ever seen, 

 well shaped and very deep. The inside was all 

 nicely lined with tufts of cow hair. In one nest 

 the hair was all red, while for the make up of 

 the other white steers must have suttered, for I 

 have no doubt but what these ravens got their 

 hair from the backs of living animals. I have 

 seen them in the severe winter weather alight on 

 the back of a steer and pick out huge mouth- 

 fuls of flesh, so hungry and voracious do they 

 become. 



The eggs were eight in number ; in both sets 

 one being perfectly fresh but the others I 

 could not save, not having proper tools with 

 me. In color they were bright green with 

 great elongated blotches of black running 

 lengthwise with the egg. All sixteen were 

 very much alike, hardly distinguishable. 



Measurement averaged about 1.98x1.30, 

 some being over 2.00 and a few under. 



These birds differ very much from the com- 

 mon crow in every way, size, action and croak. 

 I remember the first one I ever saw. I knew it 

 was a raven in a moment. This large set of 

 eight eggs is now m my collection. 



Trees began to thin out and in the very last 

 tree on the creek I obtained a set of three eggs 

 of the Krider's Hawk, (Buteo boreali-i krideri). 

 So closely allied are they with the Western 

 Red-tail that a sure identity can only be estab- 

 lished by shooting the hawk. The birds are a 

 pure white underneath from neck to end of tail 

 and a person can tell between these two species 

 of hawks which is which, with some degiee of 

 accuracj^ without shooting them, yet it is safer 

 to do so. 



After leaving the creek we took a direct 

 course across the prairie for the chalk bluff's 

 and camped for the night on a broad, level 

 plain four miles from their base, and in one of 

 the best natural ranges in the West, so con- 

 sidered. 



Large herds of cattle and horses could be 

 seen on all sides with here and there a small 

 band of antelope. We did not pitch the tent 

 that night but slept under the stars. It was a 

 most perfect night and our slumber was sound. 



On Tuesday, May 2.5th, the bluff's stood up 

 ahead of us like a huge wall, and the wide 

 plains stretched away to the south as far as the 

 eye could see. As we drew near, canons and 

 gorges opened up, like the foot hills of the 

 "Rockies." We followed up the Simpson 

 Creek into the hills for some ten miles before 

 stopping. There were lots of trees all along 

 the road but no hawk's nests. We could see 

 the hawks sailing around in great circles far 

 up among the rocks where they probably nest. 

 Small birds were exceedingly numerous, many 

 of them being species that belonged to Wyom- 

 ing. Against the side of the cliff" at one place 

 thousands of Swallows had fastened their mud 

 houses and these all together looked like one 

 immense piece of honey comb. 



Next day we took ropes, boxes etc., and struck 

 out up among the rocks. We had pointed out 

 to us a nest of an eagle, but at first glance we 

 saw that we could not get to it. We took two 

 sets of Western Red-tail from nests not four 

 feet apart on a narrow ledge. In places on this 

 great mountain, down which we were walking, 

 the action of wind and rain had so worn on the 

 cliffs that it left standing here and there quite 

 alone, huge columns of sand stone that appeared 

 like chimneys. The tops of these were favorite 

 nesting places for the hawks, and I found on one 

 of them the nest of a Prairie Falcon, (Hierofalco 

 mexicanus polyagrus). We shot the female as 

 she flew off the nest. 



An immense pile of rubbish of every descrip- 

 tion formed the nest. The only egg lay in a 

 hollow formed by skeletons, dead animals, etc. 



