104 



';< ■:-,;cXPBJ. Q^LQGIST. 



set, buttin about rf c-ne.> ©Me Wih of- ten 

 there are found three leggs, but never 

 more. In one ease in about every 

 thirty, there is a single incubated egg, 

 showing that to be the limit of the 

 clutch, but it is fair to infer that this 

 single sgg is the result of a second at- 

 tempt and after the first nest was rob- 

 bed.' 



The eggs average considerable larger 

 than the next species, and can general- 

 ly be distinguished from them, both in 

 size and by coloration, but both of 

 these means of identity often fail, and 

 I have repeatedly seen eggs of the Red- 

 shouldered Hawk as large or slightly 

 larger than small eggs of this Hawk. 

 .Hundreds of sets of eggs of this 

 species and the following, have been 

 -taken by egg collectors in this, and ad- 

 joining counties, within the last fifteen 

 years. There 'are many eyries within 

 three miles of the city of Kalamazoo 

 of 20,000 inhabitants, which are still 

 flourishing as egg producers, which 

 have been known and robbed off and 

 ■■.&m for years. I feel safe in saying that 

 ■there, are five ihund red Buteos' eggs now 

 ■contained in collections in this county. 

 -Now adding the hundreds which have 

 exchanged, sold and destroyed, and 

 ; we may possibly, realize the extent of 

 the inroad made on the Hawks in this 

 .one neighborhood.! Still adding, to, this 

 '(the 'large number of young birds which 

 i iare annually thrown from, the, nest, -to- 

 gether with; the list of adult birds which 

 >iar©;shot by, sportsmen, and everyone 

 ■ else who can take '.aim and pull a trig- 

 Mgei'/and it; seems a wpirder that there 

 <; are any Hawks left in this quarter. 

 i, i luefc me say m few , mqre w,qrd s. , w,hile 

 '■on thesubject>oif HajWks l1< ,,La,§t ! falL we 

 bad.a.'jsdde-hunt for gam q,, destroyers, 

 ' •withairegular-gchedule q f, counts per 

 (■capita for-our aQaua\,ga,m.e. ; 3up i per. I 

 •was made judge, and[i ittMpjy, capacity, 

 -'inspected la hioudcxof ftQfirj SQ^^ed,. var- 



■reptiles, t Haw kg Juries he.d .th,^ highest 



score of all, and in the^arge mimber-i^f 

 scalps examined I identified seven 

 species as follows: Red-shouldered; 

 Red-tailed; Cooper's; Sparrow; 



Sharp-shinned and Broad-winged. ..It 

 hardly seems possible that this pestered 

 family of birds could: survive such per- 

 secutions, but therejs, to me, no ap« 

 parent difference in their numbers, and 

 this spring it will be as easy as ever to 

 find he nests and .hear the scr-e-e-e of 

 the Red-tail, the ka-whee of the Red* 

 shouldered and the chatter of the Coop* 



er's. i 



•n ir.( 

 Just how early theRed-tail sometimes 



lays its eggs.it is as yet undecided, but I 



have known of nests robbed the first 



:.'.U( 



week in March which contained incubat- 

 ed eggs. About March twenty-fifth is 

 the best time for collecting, but one can^ 

 not begin too early to locate the nests 

 and watch the birds. I have seen nests 

 • robbed as late as May twentieth but 

 these rare instances only occur when 

 the early nesting has been interrupted, 

 Th^t this is the case, is well shown by 

 the fact that late May nests nearly al« 

 ways contain a single egg. 



The first set of Hawks' eggs that I 

 secured were of this species and I shall 

 never forget how proud I was of my 

 prowess in the undertaking That' was 

 long before climbing-irons were adopt- 

 ed iu this neighborhood, and the under. 



° . I (SOI" 



taking was in no manner a simple 

 matter. The day happened to be Sun- 

 day, though I did not usually collect on 



that day. In order to save niy Sunday 



' A . ; i.irii , Q;v.'i' J 



breeches, and a good scolding, I divest- 



ed myself of my outer garments ^nd 



shinned np that huge and lofty black 



oak in my underclothes. The act was 



a success in cue, way — that is 1 secured 



the eggs, but my scanty raiment, was 



more scanty as a result of the rise and 



J '■>:': ! Mil Oil' 



slide-down on that cruelly rough bark, 

 ^M^py.a^ake ,pf i; skin was, lost in the 

 , , effort, , whilst I, shivered in the , cold 

 , April w,}nd,. ^But, never ( inind— I, sue- 

 , ceeded. 'Twas long ago, but I have the 



eggs yet. 



