THE OOLOGIST. 



spring and fall, but few pairs seem to 

 remain to breed. My first opinion was, 

 that it rarely, if ever, bred in this 

 county, partly because I was led to 

 believe so by our older oologists. My 

 first nest was found in May, 1886, and 

 contained four young birds. The cav- 

 ity was about 15 feet from the ground 

 and the stub itself looked as it had been 

 the cradle for several broods in pre- 

 ceeding years. I left the stub deter- 

 mined to visit it the next season. On 

 May 16, 1887, I went to it and found 

 the bird on but thought it best to leave 

 it another week. On the 23rd I cut it 

 open and found five nearly fresh eggs. 

 The hole was 9 feet from the ground 

 and was drilled out where the stub 

 was rotten and spongy. 



My next nest was found on June 1, 

 1888. It was in a dead limb that ran 

 obliquely from the body of a live ash 

 tree. It contained five eggs in an ad- 

 A r anced state of incubation. These dif- 

 fer from any I have ever seen being of 

 a dull white without the usual gloss. 

 Later in the same year I found a nest 

 with young birds in a poplar stub that 

 would hardly stand alone and so could 

 not get up to see the young birds but 

 could hear them plainly enough and 

 see the old ones carrying food to them. 



On the 13th of May, 1890, while out 

 for Marsh Hawks' nests, I saw a bird 

 go into a hole in a poplar stub, but 

 thought best to leave it until later. On 

 the 21st I visited it and found, to my 

 great surprise as well as joy, contain- 

 ing seven eggs. (A good egg story it 

 may seem, but it is true nevertheless 

 and can be proven.) The cavity was 

 about 20 feet from the ground and the 

 stub more solid than those usually oc- 

 cupied. On blowing these eggs one 

 was addled and the other six far ad- 

 vanced in incubation. 



While going by the same stub on 

 June 14th, I stopped and rapped and to 

 my surprise again a head popped out of 

 a hole higher up than the other. This 



contained three eggs slightly incubated. 

 Although I did not measure it I think 

 this hole was at least 25 feet from the 

 ground. The cavity was very shallow 

 from having been made in a hurry. 

 These with another set taken by Mr- 

 Harry H.Pomeroy are the only ones I 

 know of taken in the county. 



R.B. Westnedge. 



American Sparrow Hawk. 

 (Falco sparverius.) 



The American Sparrow Hawks {Falco 

 sparverius) are the smallest of the 

 genus Falco resident in this country. 

 Here they may be found in certain 

 sections throughout the year; in others 

 they appear as migrants, or in the 

 breeding season only. Apparently 

 they exhibit little partiality in selecting 

 their summer homes; and those localit- 

 ies are few where the diligent observer 

 fails to meet with the nest and eggs of 

 this species. Probably, as a whole, 

 they are the commonest of our hawks, 

 and unquestionably one of the most 

 interesting. 



While this species do not assume so 

 defiant and even belligerent spirit, 

 when molested, as do some of their 

 larger kin, nevertheless their decided 

 activity at such times has, no doubt, 

 caused the amateur oologist to alter his 

 intentions for the time being, at least 



When their nesting place is ap- 

 proached, they appear greatly agitated, 

 frequently darting about uncomfortably 

 near the intruder, uttering simultan- 

 eously, a harsh cry, unpleasant to the 

 ear, peculiar, yet difficult of descrip- 

 tion. Although ornithologists as a 

 rule, agree that they show little dispo- 

 sition to attack, when disturbed, still 

 on one occasion the writer was niomen- 

 tarialy deterred from accomplishing his 

 object, by their persistent warlike ma- 

 neuvers. 



This proceeding, howeA'er, was of 

 short duration, lasting only so long as 



