THE OOLOGIST. 



273 



in fact I do not know of any other 

 species of Hawk's eggs for which they 

 can be mistaken in this region. To those 

 Avho do not possess eggs of this Hawk, 

 aud who are so fortunate as to have 

 access to Capen's work, it will be found 

 that the plates are an excellent repres- 

 entation of this Hawk's eggs. The size 

 of the eggs are a little less than those of 

 the eggs of tne Red-shouldered Buzzard. 

 Davie gives the average as 1.90x1.54 

 inches. 



The nest was built in a huge crotch 

 aud after the manner of the other Buz- 

 zard-hawks. The spot was little visit- 

 ed, the locality selected being a low, 

 wild piece of woods. This is the usual 

 choice of this Hawk, as recorded by col- 

 lectors and observers. It seems strange 

 to me that a species of the Hawk fam- 

 ily so constaut in its choice of wild and 

 little frequented regions, should be so 

 easily approached and shot. Yet this 

 inattention to its safety is a well known 

 feature of the Broad- wing's habits, aud 

 many writers mention it. 



Most writers refer to this species as 

 one which builds in high trees, but 

 others say that their choice varies great- 

 ly. It is certainly a Hawk which sel- 

 ects wild localities, and from this fact 

 is the reason that it is little known in 

 well populated districts except during 

 m grations. 



Red-shouedred Hawk or Buzzard, 

 Buteo lineatus. Gmel. This is our 

 commonest Buzzard Hawk and is un- 

 doubtedly the best known of all the 

 family. It, in common with the Red- 

 tad bears the name of Hen-hawk and 

 Chicken-hawk; terms which are hardly 

 fair, as the two Buzzards rarely serious- 

 ly infest the the barn yard, and especial- 

 \y is this true of this Hawk. This bird 

 also bears the old name of Winter Fal- 

 con, which is of course entirely improp- 

 er as it is in no sense a Falcon. It is 

 not rarely found with us throughout 

 the winter months, but is evidently no 

 more hardy than the Red-tail, which 



certainly averages ten to twenty days 

 or more earlier in nesting. Generally 

 arrives in late February aud departs 

 from our state in late November, but I 

 have seen it here in very severe weath- 

 er in December and Januaay. 



Not long after arrival the pairs, evi- 

 dently mated upon their appearance, 

 select sites for their nests. They are 

 not as constant to a favored site as the 

 Red -tail; in fact can never be depended 

 on to visit a nest for a second season. 

 I have kuowu a pair to do so however, 

 and also to choose an old nest of the 

 Crow or that of their near relative 'the 

 Red-tail. 



The locality selected is nearly always 

 a low woods the species rarely nesting 

 on high ground; aud never to, so far as 

 my experience goes, far removed from 

 water. Many hundreds of nests of this 

 Hawk have been visited iu this vicinity 

 and any quautity of eggs have been se 

 cured by the collectors of this county. 



Mr. Richard Westnedge of Kalama- 

 zoo, than whom no more reliable col- 

 lector lives in the state has devoted 

 much time to the nesting habits of the 

 Hawks of Southern Michigau. Since 

 April, 1888 he ho,s kept a careful record 

 of the nesting habits, sites, localities, 

 etc. of this Hawk. I cann >t do better 

 than to give his summary in his own 

 words. He says: 



"Sixty-eight sets of Red-shouldered 

 Hawks eggs taken since April 21, '88. 

 Of these one each was in birch, soft 

 maple and basswood; two in tamarack; 

 three each in hard maple and sycamore; 

 live in hickory; seven in oak; eight in 

 elm; fourteen in beach and twenty-three 

 in ash trees. The lowest built nest was 

 only twenty feet up and was placed in 

 a birch tree; the highest was in an ash 

 and at ninety feet. The largest set was 

 one of live eggs; the smallest incubated 

 sets were tnree of two eggs each. 

 Three and four are the usual sets. The 

 earliest set was taken April fourth; lat- 

 est first set fresh, May third; latest 



