March, 1920] 



The Canadian Filld-Natukalist 



49 



pied nests and that these were the two males - .)r the 

 two birds off duty from the nests. 



46. Spotted Sandpiper, Aciitis maadaria. 

 Common summer resident. An instance which might 

 suggest that the number of eggs in a set is, perhaps, 

 in a small measure voluntarily under control of the 

 bird IS the following: A pair of these birds wer:; 

 excavating the slight depression necessary for their 

 nest ; when they came to a stone practically the same 

 size as an egg, they left this and built the nest 

 around it, then laid three eggs which, with the stone, 

 formed the perfect circle usual with the four eggs. I 

 think if the stone had been removed at first, they 

 would have laid the usual set of four, as I have never 

 found a nest with other than four eggs. 



47. Black-bellied Plover, Squatarola squata- 

 Tola. Six were shot several years ago. 



48. Golden Plover, Charadrius dominicus. 

 Two specimens in my collection taken by R. T. 

 Hedley, at Duncrief, September 19, 1904. 



49. KiLLDEER, Oxyechus vociferus. Common 

 summer resident. 



50. Semi-PALMATED Plover, Aegialitis semipal- 

 mala. Took one at Duncrief, July 29, 1918. 



51. BoBWHITE, Colinus virginianus. Becoming 

 exceeding scarce ; rarely seen now. A number of 

 years ago they bred quite commonly. 



52. Ruffed Crouse, Bonasa umbellus. Quite 

 scarce in the township now. 



53. Mourning Dove, Zenaidura macroura. 

 Very generally distributed. I have found fresh eggs 

 from the last week in April until the third week in 

 June. 



54. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura. Three 

 pair bred in the vicinity every year. Four nests 

 noted were all in hollow logs. W. R. Campbell 

 took a set of one, May 18, 1919; it was in a hollow 

 of the rotton wood, about twelve feet from opening, 

 very difficult to see from end of log. Egg far ad- 

 vanced. 



55. Marsh Hawk, Circus hudsonius. Breeds 

 here regularly. See more of the "blue" males than 

 formerly. 



56. Sharp-skinned Hawk, Accipiler velox. A 

 few seen every spring and fall, but only ocasionally 

 in summer. 



57. Cooper's Hawk, Accipiler coopcri. Only 

 one or two observed each season. 



58. Goshawk, Astur alricapHlus. Occasionally 

 comes in late fall. 



59. Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo borealis. Is al- 

 ways common in breeding season, a pair or two 

 often staying over winter. Then, they usually nest 

 earlier. On March 30, 1914, a nest was found with 

 three eggs. This pair was usually resident and laid 

 at least a week earlier than the average mig'-ating 



bird. Twelve nests were noted near here in 1916. 



60. Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo linealus. 

 The Red-shoulder seems to be locally distributed. 

 It is very scarce in this part, while south and east a 

 few miles it is commoner than the Red-tail. On 

 May 10, 1901, C. G. Zavitz and I found a Great 

 Blue Heron's nest containing three eggs and one 

 Red-shouldered Hawk's egg, all equally incubated 

 (far advanced). The Hawk doubtless had only 

 laid one egg by the time the colony of Herons came 

 and when it was driven out. I have found this Hawl: 

 to lay in a squirrel's nest of leaves, without adding 

 any twigs or sticks, but never have heard of its hav- 

 ing laid in other bird's nests. 



61. Broad-winced Hawk, Buteo platvpterus. 

 Quite abundant during migration. Very ordinary 

 fare seems to satisfy these birds. I have found a 

 Mole shrew, Blarina brevicauda, in the stomach of 

 one specimen in the spring of 1919. 



62. ROUGH-IXCGED Hawk, Archibuteo lagopus. 

 Two or three are seen nearly every year. 



63. Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus. One 

 or two seen nearly every year. A pair bred about 

 about eight miles south in the spring of 1919. 



64. Sparrow Hawk, Falco sparverius. Regular 

 summer resident. Although usually subsisting on 

 small fare, I have seen them carry off an adult robin. 



65. OsPREY, Pandion baliaetus. Usually one or 

 two visit the pcnd each spring. 



66. Lonc-EARED Owl, Asio nnlsonianus. A 

 pair breeds always in one of the cedar swamps or 

 woods each spring. I think their average date of 

 finishing laying is about April 1, but the crows de- 

 stroy the first set more often than not. The five sets 

 noted, which escaped destruction by crows before 

 completion, each contained five eggs; all were in 

 old crow's nests, no repairs evidently being made. 

 The eggs in the early sets are laid usually at inter- 

 vals of several days, so the young birds are quite 

 noticeably different in size, especially while in the 

 natal down. One set taken. May 1, 1916, all eggs 

 were uniformly incubated; they may have b:en laid 

 unevenly (as the bird would not have to set until 

 through laying this time of year) but I think not 

 as I have never found a nest wi'.h an egg in it 

 and the bird not setting clos;. They apparently arc 

 much like the Great Horns, nesting at the usual 

 time regardless of the weather. One pair had two 

 eggs on March 31, 1903, when there was four 

 inches of snow on the ground. 



In a nest found April 24, 1917, the young birds 

 stayed in the nest three and a half weeks. The 

 old birds were very bold. One would alight on a 

 limb near the next tree, flapping its wings, then fall, 

 sometimes fifteen feet, to the ground, floundering 

 about among the leaves as if wounded. 



