FA IX'ON 1 DA-. — THE FA LCON S. 303 



coarse twigs and lined with grasses; tliii eggs were two in nunil)er, wliitt" 

 witii I'aint brown daslies. Tlie nest was placed in the centre of a large 

 bunch oi' mistletoe, and would have escaped notice liad not the Hawk, in Hy- 

 ing, betrayed her rcUeat. 



The eggs, however, di her essentially in size from those mentioned by Capt. 

 lilakiston, and it is (juite pussilile that Dr. llecrniann was mistaken in his 

 identification. One of the.se eggs was iiguied in the North American 

 Oology, and resembles nnuh more an egg of Swainson's JJuzzard than any 

 egg I have since seen of Uiis species. 



The specimens procured by Mr. Korr were taken in the Tulare Valley, 

 in January, 1840, and are staled in his notes to have been remarkalily fat, 

 and in excellent condition geni'rally, so that some of his party shot these 

 birds whenever opportunity olfered, for the mess-kettle, and considered them 

 very good eating. • 



Dr. t'ooi)er states that in the s]»ring and fall these Hawks abound in 

 Southern California, migrating in summer through the interior jdains of the 

 Columbia and the I'latte Ifivers, at least as far north as the Dalles. He found 

 it in winter at Martinez, and is of the ()[)inion that few migrate beyond the 

 State. It was usually to be seen slowly sailing over the jdains, sometimes 

 in circles, and occasionally [jouncing down obliiiueiy on its prey, which con- 

 sists i)rincii)ally of the large ground sipiirrel. It rarely, if ever, attacks 

 ])oultry, and limits its prey to wild animals, and is therefore a decided friend 

 to the farmer. 



Capt. lUakiston met with tiiis bird breeding lietween the north and the 

 south branches of the Saskatchewan IJivc r. April :')(!, l.SGS. The nest was 

 placed in an a.spen-tree, twenty feet from the ground, was composed of sticks, 

 two and a half feet across, and lined with bulfalo woul. The eggs were '"our 

 in nun r. Those taken from another nest near the same locality were tive 

 in number. This nest was in a tree, and was only ten feet aliove a lake. 

 Two eggs were taken by Mr. JJourgeau on tin; Sa.skatcliewan I'lains, July 9. 

 These differences in seasons, from A])ril to July, are suggestive either of great 

 variations in the time of nesting, or of there being two broo's in a .season. 

 The eggs obtained l)y Capt. Blakiston measured, one 2.(iU by 2.('() inches, the 

 other 2.00 by l.ll."» inclies, and are described as having been white with large 

 distinct blotches and smaller sjjecks of two shades of brown. The other was 

 more obscurely blotched with a paler brown, and at the same time freckled 

 all over. 



An egg of tliis sjiecies taken by H. R. Durkee near Gilmer in "Wyoming 

 Territory, May l>, 1870, measures 2.4;> inches in length by l.Uo in breadth. 

 The ground-color is a creamy white, over which are very unif'o"'idy distrilt- 

 uted on every ]iart of the egg, in nearly eipial ]»roportions, blotcues, ])lashes, 

 and smaller markings of a dark lairnt umber. The ne.st from which this egg 

 was taken was composed of sticks, and was jdaced among rocks. The nest 

 cctntaine'd but one egg. The parent binl was secured, and there was no 

 question as to identification. 



