FALCONIDJi; — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 441 



But they never attack them singly. The Fish Hawk nests almost 

 invariably on the tops of trees, and this habit has been noticed in 

 all parts of the country. It is not without exceptions, but these 

 are quite rare. The trees on which their nests are built are not 

 unfrequently killed by their excrement or the saline character of 

 their food and the materials of their nest. The bird is bold and 

 confiding, often constructing its nest near a frequented path, or 

 even upon a highway. 



"The nests are usually composed externally of large sticks, often 

 piled to the height of five feet, with a diameter of three. In a nest 

 described by Wilson, he found, intermixed with a mass of sticks, 

 corn-stalks, sea-weed, wet turf, mullein-stalks, etc., the whole lined 

 with dry sea-grass (Zostera marina) and large enough to fill a cart 

 and be no inconsiderable load for a horse. 



"They are very devoted in their attentions to their mates, and 

 supply them with food while on the nest. 



"In some localities the Fish Hawk nests in large communities 

 as many as three hundred pairs having been observed nesting on 

 one small island. When a new nest is to be constructed, the whole 

 community has been known to take part in its completion. They 

 are remarkably tolerant towards smaller birds, and permit the 

 Purple Grakle {Quiscalus purpureus) to construct its nests in the in- 

 terstices of their own. Wilson observed no less than four of these 

 nests thus clustered in a single Fish Hawk's nest, with a fifth on 

 an adjoining branch." 



Subfamily ACCIPITRIN^.— The Kites, Hawks, and Eagles. 



Chab. Outer toe not reversible, and claws graduated in size.witli their under surface 

 grooved, or at least not contracted; bill without distinct teeth in connection with a small 

 circular nostril enclosing a distinct long tubercle. ^Other characters extremely variable. 



The variations of form among the numerous members of this ex- 

 tensive subfamily are so great that it becomes a difficult matter to 

 diagnose it briefly. A fuller diagnosis may be found on page 426, 

 which, taken in connection with the one given above, should enable 

 the student to identify without difficulty a bird belonging to this 

 subfamily. 



It is not claimed that the following arrangement is perfectly 

 natural, since it is intended expressly as a convenient artificial 

 analysis to facilitate identification of the North American genera. 



