June, 1884.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



67 



daring the early part of April, but many 

 eggs are found in March. A set that I 

 secured the ISth of April was just ready to 

 hatch. The eggs are usually two in num- 

 ber, occasionally three and rarely only one. 

 The nest, a bulky structure, is usually built 

 well up in an oak tree, and I have seen 

 them all of ninety feet from the ground. 

 Occasionally a nest is not more than thirty 

 feet from the ground, but as a rule the 

 average may be placed at sixty feet. One 

 hard cliinb that I had, oceirrred on a bright 

 Sunday morning, 1877, and came near be- 

 ing' my last one. The Buzzards had built 

 quite seventy feet from the level and on a 

 large branch of a black oak fifteen feet from 

 the trunk. In ascending the tree the 

 elinib was laborious, and a small limb about 

 thirty feet up gave me a good rest and an 

 opportunity to make my jalans for the rest 

 of the undertaking. After securing the 

 eggs I returned very quickly on the under- 

 side of the limb to the trunk, but faded to 

 observe the extra thickening of the tree on 

 the side where the large limb joined the 

 body, and in which part the girth of the 

 fork was all of eight feet. Hanging in the 

 ridiculous position, with both legs dangling 

 in the ah- vainly scrambling for a foothold, 

 and unable to go up the large limb, quite 

 fifteen inches through," I had an excellent 

 opportunity to repent of the evils of birds' 

 nesting on the Sabbath. But the eggs 

 reached the collecting box in due time with- 

 out a crack, although, as usual, when climbs 

 are made without climbers my garments 

 showed wear, and sundry deep scratches on 

 the shins, proved conclusively, that the 

 hard bark of the tree had been tightly 

 hugged in my descent. 



The Bed-shouldered Hawk is not so com- 

 mon or at least its nest is not nearly so of- 

 ten found. The nests are generally built 

 in lower lands, nearer river bottoms. The 

 nests are rarely found in oak trees; never, 

 in my experience. The eggs, usuaDy three 

 in number, rarely two and sometimes four, 

 are a little smaller than the eggs of the 



Bed-tail in the dimensions of a series of 

 sets, but many eggs are larger than small 

 Bed-tails. 



Of the two common species of Buzzard 

 here. "Messrs. Syke and Chapin have 

 secured at least forty sets of eggs. 



The Marsh Hawk breeds here in a few 

 isolated marshes. Five eggs are usually 

 laid, on the ground or in a rude nest in a 

 marsh. The Cooper's Hawk and Sparrow 

 Hawk also breed here each year, but the 

 eggs of the latter are rarely taken owing 

 to the fact that the nest is always 

 placed in a decayed stub and dangerous to 

 secure. 



Three species of Owls- have been found 

 breeding here. A nest of the Long-eared 

 Owl taken April 27th. 1878, contained six 

 fresh eggs. It was built in a Tamarack 

 forty feet from the ground and was a large 

 compactly built structure, composed of 

 dead twigs and plentifully lined with 

 feathers. All of eighteen inches in dia- 

 meter this nest was deeply hollowed, and 

 so large for the size of the bird that she 

 could not be seen from below while sitting. 

 Another nest of this owl was built on the 

 top of a stub twenty feet from the ground. 

 The five young, two-thirds grown, were 

 secured May 22d, 1878. 



A nest of a Screech Owl containing five 

 fresh eggs, was discovered nine feet from 

 the ground in a dead stub twenty feet high, 

 in the early part of May. 1878. 



The first egg taken of the Great Horned 

 Owl. was in 1871. and occupied the nest 

 with a young owl. Up to 1879. this egg, 

 in my collection, was the only example 

 taken in the county, but during the last 

 few years a number of sets of " Hoots'' 

 have been taken by various collectors. The 

 earliest record of two eggs in a nest, is 

 Feb. 12. The nests are found in greater 

 numbers in the latter part of February. 

 Messrs. Syke, Chapin and Nolan who have 

 thoroughly canvassed the country for nests 

 of this species, have succeeded in securing 

 about twelve complete sets of eggs. In 



