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Vol. 1. 



BOSTON, MASS., FEBRUARY, 1885. 



No. 1. 



THE SHARP-SHIOED HAWK. 



{Accijnter fusciis.) 



While collecting eggs in Plastow, 

 N. H., May 30, 1883 ; I noticed in a 

 pine tree about 30 ft. from the ground 

 what at first sight appeared to be an 

 old Crow's nest ; but on a closer ex- 

 amination, I perceived a bird's tail 

 projecting over the edge of the nest ; 

 procuring a club I pounded the tree 

 vigorously but without any result, so 

 I i^roceeded to climb up the ti"ee, when 

 within a few feet of the nest the occu- 

 pant flew off, and proved to be a 

 Sharp-shinned Hawk. The nest was 

 a bulky affair, composed of coarse 

 sticks, lined inside with somewhat 

 finer ones. It was but slightly hol- 

 lowed, and contained three eggs, 

 which I found to be quite fresh. 

 One thing about them struck me as 

 being somewhat peculiar, and that 

 was that the eggs were placed in a 

 row across the nest, with the small 

 ends all the same way. The we e 

 bluish, white-spotted and blotched ir- 

 regularly with dark chocolate-brown. 

 No. I had numerous spots at the large 

 end forming a circle. No. 2 had the 

 entire surface dotted over, thickest at 

 the large end. No. 3 was thinly spot- 

 ted, and had a lar|pe patch of brown at 

 the smaller end. 



J. A. 

 West Newbury, Mass. 



,We give :i premium for every sub- 

 scriplion sent in Uiis month; send now 

 and secure one. 



A MELANIC ROBIN. 



On the morning ot May 13, 18S1, 

 when I turned the cattle into the pas- 

 ture, I saw a bird standing on the 

 stone wall at a distance of about two 

 yards, which at first sight I supposed 

 to be a rather small specimen of the 

 Purple Grakle ( Quiscalus purpureus) . 

 The entrance of the cattle startled the 

 birdj and I was a little surprised to 

 recognize in its flight the movements 

 of the Robin (Turdics migratorius) . 

 Flying across the field in a diagonal 

 line, this bird alighted on another wall 

 in the manner very common to robins. 

 By making half a revolution horizon- 

 tally, the bird flew in a northeasterly 

 direction, and immediately before its 

 feet touched the wall, it turned and 

 was heading towards the northwest. 

 The bird allowed a near approach, 

 and I heard distinctly the morning 

 song of the Robin coming from its 

 throat, and observed with equal dis- 

 tinctness that it stood in the typical 

 music attitude of the Turdus migrato- 

 rius. I listened to the cheery strain 

 as it was several times repeated ; then 

 the bird flew into an apple-tree and, 

 suddenly, one of those spasmodic vo- 

 ciferations, accompanied by the no less 

 spasmodic evolution of half a dozen 

 robins, occurred, in which the Black 

 Robin took a conspicuous part ; and 

 after this convulsive affair, the purple- 

 flashing Melanic turdus., accompanied 

 by a female of usual coloration, flew 

 away towards the south. 



Elisha Si.adk, 



Somerset, Mass. 



