32 Iowa Ornithologist. 



coverts white. Iri.s, brown ; feet, light-yellow ; cere, pale greenish-yellow. L. 

 34, W. 15*4, T. 103^. 



The nest was a large bulky mass of sticks, the accumulations of years, and 

 was lined with strips of bark and cornliusks ; also containing a sprig of cotton- 

 wood or poplar with fresh green leaves, evidently just picked, and two other 

 sprigs with the leaves somewhat withered ; built fifty-one feet from the ground 

 on a slanting Burr-oak tree. It contained two eggs advanced in incubation. 

 The eggs resembled eggs of the common Red- tail, one egg being sparsely 

 specked with light brown, the other with a number of large blotches of clear 

 brown, chiefly around the larger end. Size, 2.44 x 1.94 ; 2.48 x 1.91. 



May 2, 189(5, in Ellington township, Hancock county, in company with Mr. 

 Earl'Halvorsen, I again found the species "at home." The nest was in a Burr- 

 oak tree, fdiirty-six feet from the ground. The Hawk renuiined on the nest 

 until I had rapped on the tree several times with a stick, when she flew off, 

 circled around a few times and lit on a branch near the nest, in the same tree, 

 before my companion had climbed up twenty feet. She sat there for nearly a 

 minute, giving ye ornithologists a good view of her. The other Hawk arrived 

 shortly aft^r and they soared overhead uttering shrill screams, both Hawks 

 finally settling in the same tree, about two feet apart, and remaining there 

 while we were taking the accompanying photograph of the three beautiful 

 eggs and nest "in situ" — a rather difficult feat, as the branches above the nest 

 were exceedingly slender and much too flexible for a'comfortable support. The 

 nest, an old one, was about two feet across and built of sticks and one corn- 

 stalk. The hollow of the nest was about nine inches across and was lined with 

 strips of bark and a quantity of fine stringy bark, such as squirrels' nest are 

 u.sulilly lined with. The nest contained a number of White Poplar twigs 

 v.'ith young green leaves, also a number of bunches of soft white down. The 

 eggs were beautifully marked with umber brown, yellowish brown and lavender 

 and were slightly incubated. 



April 2(ith, 1897, 1 took a set of three .slightly incubated eggs, about two 

 miles north of Forest City, from- a nest 'iilXi^ feet from the ground on an out- 

 spreading branch of a Burr-oak tree. The nest was built this spring, of coarse 

 Poplar and Oak t\\ igs and lined with strips of bark and cornliu.sks, the lined 

 part measuring about ten inches across and depressed about two inches. The 

 eggs were whitisli with small specks of dull brownish scattered over nearly the 

 whole surface. The Hawk could be seen on the ne.st as I approached, but flew 

 away when I was several rods from the nest, remaining away until! had 

 climbed up to the nest, when she flew high overhead screaming a few times. 

 For some time both Ha\\'ks .4at near together on the s'aiue tree. Both Hawks 

 wert' very wary and kept out of reach of the shotgun, wliich plan was certuiilly 

 very conducive to longevity. 



The following Saturday, May 1st, 1 went down into th(> Ellington woods. 

 Passing by an old nest from which I had taken three eggs of tjie Red-tail, May 

 ;j, 189.J, and three Great Horned Owl's eggs, February 22, 189G, nothing was 

 visible but' a pair of SWainson's Hawks st)aring and s(-reaming overhead. How- 

 evcT I struck tlie tree with my climbing-irons and was somewhat surprised to 

 see a Hawk dasli ntr, wliose p;ile r(>ddish tail and whitish under parts showed it 



