138 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



hawks around a large cherry tree on Tyson Lane, New Dorp. 

 One of them swooped down excitedly in my direction several 

 times, but, though I climbed the tree, I could not find the nest. 

 A year later, near the same place, a sparrow hawk again flew at 

 me, but this time I could not even see in what tree the nest was 

 to be looked for. 



On May 24 of the present year, a female flew out of a large 

 elm in an open field at Green Ridge. Its mate soon appeared, 

 with food in its claws, and they showed considerable anxiety at 

 my presence. The tree contained a number of holes, excavated 

 mainly by flickers, but, while I was near, the hawks would not 

 reenter their abode. 



The nest was found on May 30 to be in a hole made by the 

 breaking off of a branch, on the westerly side of the tree, not 

 more than twenty-five feet up. There were three eggs, of a 

 light buff ground color, finely speckled with rufous spots, lying 

 on the chips of wood in the bottom of it. In the same tree were 

 a couple of starling nests, which the young were just leaving, 

 and one flicker's nest. On June 7 the sparrow hawks' eggs were 

 found to number four. 



At 8.15 p.m., July 1, three young sparrow hawks were found 

 in this nest, and examined by the light of a match. The fourth 

 egg had disappeared. No old bird flew out at our approach, so I 

 presume that they do not spend the night in the nest at this stage 

 of the proceedings. 



On July 12 the young hawks' primaries were about i 1 /^ inches 

 long, but their tails somewhat shorter, while brown feathers were 

 growing out on their backs and breasts. Their beaks were of a 

 dull whitish color, very different from the bills of the young red- 

 shouldered hawks, and the nostrils were noticeably round, with a 

 little tubercle in the center of each. One of the young hawks 

 while being handled uttered a hoarse imitation of the common 

 " killy-killy-killy " of its parents. Part of the back and legs of 

 a small bird, probably a small sparrow, was in the nest. 



On this date one of the young sparrow hawks was taken to my 



