14 



IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



grove must have extended eighty 

 rods, and hardly a tree that did 

 not have one or two nests in it. 

 The trees were rather small, 

 and as they are inclined to sway 

 and were very scraggly, the nests 

 were somewhat difficult to reach. 

 They were composed of twigs, a 

 trifle larger than I had supposed, 

 being about i8 inches across and 

 3 or 4 inches deep, and the eggs 

 could not be seen from below. 

 We secured what we desired and 

 left the birds in peace. We did 

 not find more than three eggs in 

 a nest and as several were broken 

 on the ground, we came to the 

 conclusion that it was the work 

 of the Crows, a few of which were 

 around. The eggs are of a light 

 greenish-blue, and although 

 they vary a good deal, average 

 about 1.50x2.00 in si^e. On 

 reaching home we found that a 

 few of the eggs were incubated. 



The Duck Hawk. 



GEO. H. BURGE. 



I'aper read before the First C'ongress of 

 I. O. A. 



XJO doubt there are but few here 

 who have not read at some 

 time, in some of the numerous 

 books on ornithology, a state- 

 ment which reads like this: "The 

 Peregrine Falcon, or Duck Hawk, 



is distributed throughout North 

 America at large, though it can 

 hardly be called a common resi- 

 dent any vvhsre." The eggs of this 

 hawk are found in but few of the 

 private collections in this country 

 and consequently the average col- 

 lector is not very familiar with 

 these birds and their habits. It 

 has been my pleasure to collect 

 three sets of eggs of this hawk 

 and to aid in the taking of an- 

 other. By the request of Pres. 

 Keyes, I will endeavor to give a 

 brief account of this hawk's 

 habits, as I have observed them, 

 and will also give a few of the 

 distinguishing marks, so the bird 

 can be readily identified. 



The Falco can be easily dis- 

 tinguished from the rest of the 

 family Falconida^ by the toothed 

 beak, and the Duck Hawk from 

 any other bird in North America 

 by the slaty-plumbeous or lead 

 color of the upper parts, the 

 black "mustache," a patch of 

 black feathers extending in an 

 angle from the corners of the 

 mouth downward, and its large 

 feet, the middle toe being very 

 large. It is a medium sized 

 hawk; Coues gives the average ot 

 a female as length 19 inches, 

 tail 7 inches, extent of wing 



14.50 inches; the male being 



smaller. 



