32 



THE NIDIOLOGIST 



Nesting of the White-tailed Kite. 



IT has nev^er been the privilege of the 

 writer, who has examined many, to see 

 a set of eggs of the White-tailed Kite 

 {Ela)ius luecurns) so handsomely marked 

 as the set of four presented in a colored 

 plate in this issue of the Nidiologist. 



The eggs were secured by Harold C. 

 Ward, after a phenomenal climb, by means 

 of ropes, to the top-most branches of a 

 great live-oak tree. Incubation was com- 

 menced when the eggs were taken, on May 

 20, '94. On the 30th of April the birds 

 were observed by H. R. Taylor carrying 

 twigs to the nest, a barely perceptible plat- 

 form having been laid. This would indi- 

 cate a period of two weeks as the time oc- 

 cupied in building. 



A set of five eggs had been taken April 

 8, in the vicinity of the last nest, by H. 

 R. Taylor — incubation, large embryos. 

 There is every reason to believe that the 

 richly marked set of four were a second 

 laying of the same pair of Kites which laid 

 the five, having chosen, this time, a lofty 

 tree, hoping to be safe from intrusion. 



The set of five w^re plainly marked, and 

 if both were indeed the product of the same 

 pair of Kites, as is most probable, it proves 

 that the suggested law, that particular 

 pairs of birds laj'^ successive sets of eggs 

 similar in markings, does not prevail in this 

 species of Kite. 



Most graceful and pretty birds are the 

 White-tailed Kites, and they are very un- 

 suspecting when near their nests, which 

 they often betray by their anxious flittings 

 and whistlings. Their whistle is plaintive, 

 and somewhat resembles that of the Wes- 

 tern Meadowlark. 



It has been said long ago, by Mr. A. I,. 

 Parkhurst, that this Kite is so wary that he 

 never saw one fly from a nest. The data 

 accompanying the set of five eggs, taken 

 by H. R. Taylor, show that this statement 

 is not absolute: " Nest about 35 feet from 

 ground, in topmost twigs of a live oak tree; 

 built of dry twigs, i^ feet wide; greatest 

 extension from top to bottom, i foot; width 

 of nest proper only about 6 inches; lining 

 of dry stubble and a few feathers. Bird 

 flew when I climbed within 4 feet of nest. 

 After taking the eggs, and while still in the 

 lower limbs of the tree, the Kite returned 

 and sat on the nest, turning herself around 

 and around, her white tail like a swaying 



rudder, as if searching for the stolen eggs. 

 The mate of this bird sat on a dead tree 

 100 feet away." 



Recent Publications. 



METHODS in the Art of Taxidermy. 

 By Oliver Davie, 1894. I» ^ hand- 

 some quarto volume of one hundred 

 and fifty pages, illustrated by ninety 

 full-page engravings, the author has given 

 an incitement to taxidermy as a fine art 

 which must be far-reaching and lasting. 

 The second half of the work is devoted to 

 the taxiderm}^ of mammals, reptiles, fishes 

 and crustaceans, plaster-casts, ornamental 

 taxidermy and information regarding the 

 care of specimens, an index and list of sub- 

 scribers. It is upon the first half that the 

 interest ot Ornithologists will be more 

 strongly attracted, for in clear terms the 

 whole subject is carefully explained, step 

 by step, so that one may by following the 

 text, and with the assistance of the illustra- 

 tions, learn to prepare birds' skins in first 

 class manner, or mount birds as correctly 

 as those shown in plate XXXI or the up- 

 per figure of plate XVI. 



In an historical introduction all that is 

 known of the earl}' history of taxidernn^ is 

 pleasantly told and brought down to the 

 present time. 



The first three chapters contain a great 

 deal of information on instruments, mate- 

 rials, preservatives and practical collecting. 



The directions for preparing birds' skins 

 are excellent in the main, and all variations 

 from the customary way are clearly ex- 

 plained; still, we do not endorse the turn- 

 ing of a bird's head backward upon the 

 body except in a rare contingency of travel 

 and transportation, but prefer to see them 

 laid out straight, even if three or four feet 

 long, and we would recommend the stiffen- 

 ing of the neck-piece in all birds' skins by 

 the use of wooden toothpicks for the 

 smaller birds and wire or wood for larger 

 ones; the tow or cotton for the neck being 

 carefully twisted about the wire or tooth- 

 pick. 



A chapter devoted to birds' nests and 

 eggs contains the essential information 

 which it takes so long for many to acquire, 

 but is here clearly explained and illus- 

 trated, and should result in elevating the 

 study of Oology and separate it forever 

 from mere nest-robbing. 



