152 



'THE OOLOGIST. 



three. The (^gg's, like the eggs of all the 

 Raptores, \iivy greatly both in size and 

 markings. The ground color is Ijluish 

 white and the normal specimen is nni- 

 formly spotted o^ser the entire surface 

 with large and small spots and hhjtc-hes 

 of reddish brown and amlier. I liaA'e 

 one egg in my collection that entirely 

 lacks the markings, only haA'ing a faint 

 brownish tinge on the smaller <>nd. 

 Amjther has a large, mottled reddish- 

 brown blotch entirely covering one side, 

 Avhile the otlicn' side is free from mark- 

 ings of any kind. 



The average size of the sixteen eggs 

 I have collected is 2.43 by 1.86. The 

 smallest measuring 2.37 by 1.81 and the 

 largest 2.53 by 1.90. 



^ This bird shows none of the pluck and 

 dftsh in defending its nest that is often 

 seen in the smaller hawks. When the 

 nest is being riti(;d it generally sits on 

 some lofty tree in plain A'iew, but hai'd- 



^; ly'' (!ver approaching Avithin one hund- 

 i'i red yards of the collector. Their j^er- 



■' sistency in keei^ing the same nest year 

 after year is wonderful. When once 

 they are estalilished it is almost imposs- 

 ible to dislodge them. Last year, 1888, 

 I took a set of eggs on March 18th and 

 another on April 8th, hoih from the 

 same jiair of birds, and on May 3d they 

 had again depcjsited a set of two which 

 rhad not the heart to take. The young 

 from this set did not leave the nest till 

 the latter part of July. 



Although I have never had the op- 

 ):»(n-tunity to examine minutely the 

 plumage of the adult bird or take 

 measurements, still his general appear- 

 ance is almost as familiar to me as is 

 that of the barn-yard fowl, and un- 

 doubtedly every collector in tlu' Union 

 knows the bird at sight, wliic-li he first 

 identilied l)y seeing the brick red color 

 of tlie under side of the tail featliers. 

 March 20, 1888. D. B. R., 



Beattie, Kan. 



An Untimely End of a Set of Brown- 

 headed IKTutliatcli Eggs. 



Thcn'e is a saying that thciH; is always 

 some Ijitter with tlie sweet, so it was 

 with mj^ first c^ggs collected this j'car 

 ('89). On the 15th of March, with a 

 c(nnpani(;n, I started, afoot, for a little 

 hunt of a day or tAvo, after Gt. White 

 Heron eggs. Our course led through a 

 desolate pine f<n'est f(n' eight or nine 

 miles. We trudged along the sandy 

 road f(jr se\'eral miles Avithout seeing 

 anything of note Avhen I suddenly 

 caught the scnuid of a BroAvn-hcaded 

 Nuthatch's clatter. I called the atta^'-' 

 tion of my companion to it, b'rtt ,Svj||i 

 about to pass on again Avhen the riomt 

 Avas I'cpeated. This time there Avas no 

 mistaking the sound. Going in the di- 

 recti(ni of the soiuid, Ave Avere soon 

 rcAvarded by seeing a Nuthatch hanging 

 to the side of a snag, about eight feet 

 high, Hipping his tail up and his head 

 down, each time uttering an alarming- 

 cry. On our near approach the bird 

 fieAV t(j the trees, and there in the side 

 of that I'otten sturab Avas a tiny hole 

 scarcely an inch Avide. With great care 

 a small portion of the rotten avo(x1 Avas 

 broken a^\'ay and my com paaiim peeped 

 in. Thyn, he jumped up and gaA'e such 

 a yell as old Florida hasn't heard since" 

 the Seminole Avar, and said "Gill there 

 is tAvo eggs in there." Then Ave both 

 yelled and rolled on the ground and 

 j^elled some more. After Ave had got 

 our happiness somewhat xmder control,- 

 more of the rotten Avo(jd Avas taken 

 away, and lo! nottAvo, hut seven beauti- 

 ful fresh eggs met our gaze. O! they 

 Avcre prett^^'; I can see them noAV, six 

 lying in a circle around (Uie in the mid- 

 dle.^ 



The nest was comjjosed of i)its of wool 

 and i)ine bark, together Avith tine chijjs • 

 of rotten wood. We soon had them 

 .secure, and "AV(>nt on our av ay rejoic- 

 ing." NoAv this Avas the sweet part, 

 the bitter came that night. 



