THE OOLOGIST 



47 



Young Goshawk 



The Goshawk occurs in Southern 

 Pennsylvania only during the winter 

 season, and then not at all abundantly 

 excepting during an occasional winter 

 when some unusual conditions drive 

 them southward. 



Such an occurrence was noted a 

 few years since, and many were re- 

 ported from Southeastern Pennsyl- 

 vania and adjacent localities. 



In Warren and Sullivan Counties, 

 Pennsylvania, they are regular, though 

 rare breeders. They seem to require 

 large tracts of virgin forest. Where 

 the Pine and Hemlock make a dense 

 and secure shelter for them, as well 

 as the animals, they require for food. 

 The pair of young birds here shown 

 were taken from the nest by Mr. R. 

 B. Simpson near Warren, Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



The first clutch of three eggs he 

 took for his collection about April 1st, 

 a second was again layed, but in some 

 way was destroyed, and a third lay- 

 ing all in the same vicinity was allow- 

 ed to hatch. 



Mr. Simpson kindly presented me 

 with these birds and they came to 

 hand July 4th, 1909. 



They were mighty interesting little 

 chaps, with appetites fully in keeping 

 with their size. At that time they 

 were clothed in a heavy coat of white 

 down with wing and tail feathers pro- 

 truding, being between two and three 

 weeks old. 



But in a few days they became dif- 

 ferent looking birds, so fast did the 

 feathers grow and the down disap- 

 pear. 



The picture was taken July 18th, 

 when between five and six weeks old, 

 the down having mostly disappeared, 

 excepting on the legs and breast. As 

 is frequently the case with young rap- 

 tores, one bird was much larger than 

 the other, the larger one being the 



more docile. The other, probably the 

 male, was quite intractable, growing 

 more savage with age, and making 

 skillful use of his beak and claws 

 when I attempted to handle him. 



They were sent to the New York 

 City Zoo soon after this, but did not 

 live to maturity. 



Thomas H. Jackson. 



Goshawk Nesting Again. 



During the past winter I often won- 

 dered if the Goshawks still stuck to 

 their old home, but because of the 

 deep snow I did not get up in that 

 locality until March 8th, 1910. On that 

 date, I forced my way through over 

 two feet of heavy wet snow and was 

 rewarded by seeing one of the hawks. 



March 20th I was again on hand 

 and while prowling about I heard the 

 loud call of a Goshawk. Going in that 

 direction I saw her fly from a new 

 nest in a beech. 



April 3d Spencer (who helped me 

 raid them last year) and myself, went 

 after them and flushed the female 

 from the nest. We secured a nice set 

 of two without trouble, as the fe- 

 male did not come near. We also 

 photoed the nest but it is hard to get 

 a nice photo way up in a tree because 

 a snap shot can be taken. 



This nest was about a mile from the 

 nests in the heavy pine used last year 

 and was 45 feet up in a beech in a part 

 of the woods composed almost entire- 

 ly of beech. 



I saw no more of them until June 

 9th, when I was in the pines look- 

 ing about. 



I was going along very close to the 

 first nest used last year and from 

 which I secured my set of three, when 

 I heard something coming from Be- 

 hind and overhead. I dropped to the 

 ground and the female Goshawk shot 

 past. Then the music began and both 

 old hawks appeared. The female was 



