THH YOUNG ORNITHOLOGIST. 



Hermit Species, /but is particulariy 

 l)artial to dam[) places and the shade 

 and shelter of low thick nndervvood. 

 There is little variation in the plumage 

 on the upper parts from that of its 

 congener's, but the breast is not pot- 

 ted like those of the above named 

 species, and in size it is still 

 smaller than the Hermit Thrush. Its 

 food seems to be chiefly insects ; 

 though it also occasionally feeds on 

 small fruit seeds, and grain, some- 

 times visiting for that purpose the 

 margins of the Helds bordering on 

 the woodland. Its favourite nesting 

 places are among fallen brushwood in 

 low, thick underwood, in clumps of 

 small trees standing in damp spots, 

 and sometimes in old moss-covered 

 logs, in low, swampy grounds. The 

 nest is formed of stalks of dry weeds, 

 old leaves and rootlets, the set of eggs 

 commonly four, though sometimes 

 five and three constitutes the clutch ; 

 these are of a blue-green color, and 

 a)'e a little smaller than those of the 

 Hermit. Its common noies are similar 

 to the Hermit, l)ut we have never yet 

 been able to discover that it was pos- 

 sessed of a song, it however sometimes 

 utters a peculiar note somewhat re- 

 sembling the l)leat of a young- fawn, 

 for which reason it is probable that it 

 has received the name of '"Veree," 

 while that of Wilson's had doubtless 

 been conferred upon it by Wilson, 

 the celebrated American Ornitholo- 

 gist. The Tawny arrives in this lo- 

 cality usually in the lirst week of 

 May, and begins to nest towards the 

 end of that month, and we have never 

 seen its nest with eggs after the mid- 

 dle of June. NVhen flushed from its 

 nest, it makes ;i little outcry, but 

 sometimes runs a short <1istance alona." 



the ground in order to draw the intru- 

 der after it. When young are in the 

 nest, it is very solicitous of their 

 safety, and should any of them make 

 an outcry, the distress of the old 

 birds is very notable. 



RED-TAILED HAWK. 



{Buteo boreaJis.) 



This is the hawk commonly called 

 Hen Hawk. A great many of these 

 hawks are trapped in this section dur- 

 ing the spring migrations. They come 

 down to a decoy hawk, and endeavor 

 to seize any small animal that is 

 placed on the trenches of the trap. 



It was my good fortune to get a set 

 of two eggs of this hawk this spring, 

 A young friend told me he knew where 

 there was a nest ; so I started out, 

 May 4, about o o'clock, A. M. Get- 

 ting this young friend to pilot me, we 

 proceeded to a small piece of larg e 

 woods, and he pointed out the nest on 

 quite a large white pine. As the tree 

 was leaning a little up to the limbs. 

 1 did not have much difficulty in 

 reaching the nest without climb- 

 ers. It vpas about 45 ft. high, I should 

 think. It contained two eggs. 2.12 x 

 1 .70 in. One was handsomely blotched 

 with chestnut, thickest at the largest 

 end ; the othei' was marked something 

 the same, but the blotches were pale- 

 blue brown. The nest was made of 

 oak twigs mostly. It was about 2 ft. 

 by 1 3-4 across the top. The centre 

 of the nest was quite compact, being 

 filled in with small twigs, chips &c. It 

 was hollowed out but very little, and 

 I should think it might have been an 

 old nest. The old birds were very 

 shy. and kept pretty well out of sight. 

 (•. W. SwALi.(nv. 



