176 NOTES ON THE 
Family FALCONID_E. 
ELANOIDES FORFICATUS (L.). (327.) 
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. 
For some time after I began to notice the birds here I re- 
garded the Swallow-tailed Kite as a veritable rari avis, and 
finding where one pair built their nest on the west side of Lake 
Minnetonka, I made a careful note of everything pertaining to 
their habits. Subsequently I found that the species was far 
from being rare, indeed was comparatively common. My 
mistake had been in looking for them on the prairies instead 
of in the dense forests. Not one of all the species had been 
found on any considerable prairie. In looking for the nest, 
authorities directed me to the immediate vicinity of water. 
Margins of lakes and running streams in or bordering large 
bodies of tall timber were searched to the distance of a hun- 
dred and fifty yards back from the water, but no nests were to 
be found. In my extreme desire to gather knowledge of the 
-local habits of birds and having an opportunity to secure a 
professional odlogist, I employed him and sent him to the 
eastern side of the lake mentioned, where, amongst a large 
number of species I wished to learn more about, I was confi- 
dent this one nested, for during the last days of May and in 
early June I had year after year seenthe male. Hespentsome 
ten days there and brought me many items of deep interest, 
but of my Swallow-tailed Kite, nothing. It so happened that 
he had fallen in with a friend of mine who was as profoundly 
interested in birds as any of us, to whom he showed a clutch 
of six eggs just obtained from a nest of these birds far back 
in the dense forest of maple, oak, elm and basswood, on a tree 
at an elevation of about sixty feet, allof which my friend very 
innocently rehearsed to me a few days later. I had never 
seen the egg at that time and regretted above words that I 
could not have ‘‘received that which was my own”, but deter- 
mined to find the nest if possible, and did so. Everything 
about its location seemed to preclude the presumption that 
they would select the immediate vicinity of water, With the 
key to the situation now in my hands, I never have since 
thrown away precious time looking for their nests anywhere 
but in the deep forests away from all running water. They 
