170 



THE OOLOG1ST. 



is founded upon personal observation 

 and the knowledge of sets which have 

 been taken from the shelves which now 

 -exist and have existed on i s almost 

 [perpendicular sides, [n past years the 

 writer has never failed to locate a nest 

 'when exploring this mountain during 

 the breeding season, and others, in 

 still earlier years, have demonstrated 

 the preference of the Duck Hawk for 

 an eyi*ie in this mountain. On April 

 19th 1863. one Mr. Bennett of South 

 Haclley, Mass., secured a set of four 

 eggs from this mountain and killed the 

 female bird. R. B. Hilderth, Esq., of 

 Springfield Mass., found a nest of 

 yound Duck Hawks ou Mt. Tom, May 

 30,1862, and tells us that the falcons 

 were then almost full-fledged. From 

 these two dates we see that the eggs 

 are not only laid early in the year but 

 that the embryo develops rapidly and 

 is soon hatched. In 1875, Mr. F. VV. 

 Carrier, now of Holyoke, Mass., se- 

 cured a set of, three eggs from a cliff on 

 Mt. Tom and sold them to a collector 

 for a handsome sum. Mr. Carrier is an 

 expert cliff-climber— having acquired 

 dexterity in this direction in his for- 

 mer occupation of bridge-building. He 

 (together with Mr. Harry Smith, of 

 Smith's Ferry, Mass., and the writer) 

 has probably taken as many native 

 sets of Duck Hawk's eggs as any one 

 man in America. The nest of the Duck 

 Hawk is not easily located by one, un- 

 accustomed to the work. Missiles may 

 be hurled from the summit of a cliff 

 and may even strike the rocks in close 

 pi-oximity to the ledge which shelters 

 the nesting bird aud she may not leave 

 the eggs uutil some approaching weap- 

 on warns her of imminent danger. 

 Her courage is almost invincible. 

 When driven from the eyrie both birds 

 may quickly rise in the air and pass 

 rapidly beyond the limit of human 

 vision and then with almost incredible 

 velocity swoop down in close proximity 

 to the invading party. Under such 



circumstances, if a shot-gun is at hand 

 and such action be deemed advisable, a 

 good marksman may secure an inter- 

 esting specimen. 



Of the two sets of eggs taken this 

 year by our party, the best (which con- 

 sisted of four, the other being a set of 

 three) was taken on the morning of 

 April 28d from a ledge on the Western 

 side of Mt. Tom, about one-third the 

 distance from the southern extremity 

 of the mountain to wnere the Connecti- 

 cut River, cuts its way through the 

 range at the foot of Mt. Nonnatuck. 

 At this point the side of the mountain 

 extends almost perpendicularly down- 

 ward for about 300 feet and then makes 

 a more sloping descent to the plain be- 

 low. Only those whose heads are clear 

 and limbs steady may venture to stand 

 with safety on the edge of this cliff and 

 gaze upon the rocks at the foot of the 

 mouutaiu, o hers must crawl on hands 

 and knees to the verge of the precipice 

 and view with awe the depths below. 

 I cannot pass without making mention 

 of the beauty of the landscapes as view- 

 ed from the summit of this cliff. Stretch- 

 ed out before the observer is a patch- 

 work of meadows, groves, villages and 

 heavy timber land; all interwoven with 

 silvery streams, conspicuous among 

 which are the Connecticut River to the 

 north, and the Manhan River just be- 

 neath the eastern face of the mountain. 

 Towns and villages are spread out as in 

 panorama before the admiring eye — 

 Northampton, Easthampton, South- 

 ampton, Westhampton, Leeds, Florence, 

 Deerlield, Hatfield, Westfield. and 

 others, all in plain view, while with a 

 glass of modei'ate power the observer 

 may if the weather be clear, catch a 

 glimpse of the Green Mountain range 

 far away iu Vermont, and then direct- 

 ing it southward may descry duildings 

 in the city of Hartford, Connecticut. 

 All this without changing one's station, 

 and even more extensive views may be 

 gained from certain points on the moun- 



