Oct. 1884.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



121 



in number, of a bluish green ground color, 

 some sj^ecimens having a few black spots 

 near the larger end, while others have a 

 number of blotches and spots of a light 

 and dark brown color. 



Say's Flycatchee,( Sayomis sayi.) This 

 bird is not much seen except by those in- 

 terested in bird life. It is a rather solitary 

 species, generally seen about old walls, 

 fields and fences. In all my observations 

 I have never seen one frequenting wood- 

 land. Say's Flycatcher is one of our early 

 arrivals in the spring, appearing about the 

 10th of April. It has a very mournful 

 note, which it utters at intervals through- 

 out the day. I have seen them eject pel- 

 lets from their throats in the same man- 

 ner as do the owls. I have never found it 

 breeding before the past season, when a 

 single nest was found on a beam of an old 

 building near the city. I had seen a bird 

 in the vicinity a few days before and mis- 

 trusted that there was a nest near the 

 place. On the 17th of June, I sallied forth 

 and after about an hour's watching dis- 

 covered the nest in the place mentioned. 

 The nest was flattened on one side where 

 it came in contact with the side of the 

 building, otherwise it was in the shape of 

 a sugar-loaf, with a cavity in the top for 

 the eggs. The body of the nest was com- 

 posed of grass-roots, thread and bits of 

 hemp, the inside of cotton-wood feathers, 

 the outside skin of grasses and a few 

 horse hairs. Outside measurements — long 

 diam. 7 ins., short diam. 4 ins., height 2£ 

 ins. Iuside measurements — diam. 2f ins., 

 depth 1§ ins. 



The eggs were five in number, pure 

 white. Incubation J. Both birds took 

 part in incubation. — H. G-. Smith, Jr., 

 Denver, Colorado. 



The Sparrow Hawk. 



( Tinnunculus sparverius.) 



This handsome little Hawk is abundant 

 and breeds plentifully in old decayed 

 stumps and trunks of trees, generally in 



some deserted Flicker's hole. I have taken 

 a large number of their eggs this year. 

 From one nest I obtained seven eggs at 

 different times, although the complete 

 clutch consists as a rule of four. On May 

 29th I found the above mentioned nest in 

 the decayed trunk of a cottonwood tree so 

 badly decayed that I could not trust to 

 climbing, so I pushed it over, letting it 

 fall against a clump of birches where it 

 remained standing at an angle of forty de- 

 grees from its original position, where I 

 could easily reach the nest. The eggs, of 

 which there were three, were laid in the 

 hole of a Red-shafted Flicker, (Oolaptes 

 auratus mexicanus), upon the chips left 

 by the former occupant. I took these eggs 

 and on the 1st of June visited the nest 

 again and found another egg, which I took. 

 On June 7th, finding the birds were still 

 in the vicinity, I climbed to the nest once 

 more and to my surprise found the female 

 on, nor would she move for me, but kept 

 her head buried in her breast. Being 

 greatly surprised and somewhat taken 

 aback by such actions, I wrapped my 

 handkerchief about my hand, and after 

 turning her over in the nest, pulled her 

 legs through and transferred the handker- 

 chief to the legs of the bird, tying it in a 

 knot, then I drew her through and found 

 three more eggs. On reaching the ground 

 I examined my bird and, sorry to relate, I 

 had broken the eighth egg in the bird, 

 which of course accounted for her staying 

 on the nest so long. The eggs of this bird 

 vary greatly both in color and shape. In 

 most specimens the ground color seems to 

 be white, more or less spotted and blotched 

 with burnt umber, this color completely 

 covering one end, but it seems immaterial 

 to the bird which end. In other specimens 

 the burnt umber entirely covers the ground 

 color. Even the eggs of the same clutch 

 show a great difference in markings. Some 

 eggs are nearly spherical, others are elon- 

 gated and pointed. — Chas. T. Morrison, 

 Fort McKinney, Wyo. Ter. 



