242 THe Witson BULLETIN—Nos. 76-77. 
within a few hundred yards of water, and in fact many times 
right on the bank of some water (Currie ms.). 
The single nest found near Omaha, Neb., was in a woods 
half a mile distant and 150 feet above the Missouri river, 
mear the crest of a ridge (Shoemaker ms.). 
In Tyler Co., Texas, it is confined exclusively to the oak 
ridges in the dry pine woods, at least I have never found a 
nest in any other kind of locality (Pope ms.). 
The ideal station, and I refer to a definite existing local- 
ity in S. E. Pa., would seem to be a tract consisting of up- 
land, hillside and swamp, well covered with mixed hard- 
wood timber, with here and there an unoccupied clearing, 
an unfrequented public highway, cart road or path, with 
room enough for the silent deadly swoop after the unfortu- 
nate mouse or red squirrel; also a small stream or pond, in 
the shallow reaches of which it can snatch the crayfish, and 
surprise the frog or trout-eating water snake on the borders 
of the pools. The verdant foliage supplies it with number- 
less insects and fat larve. As it sits upon one of its favorite 
perches, well hidden by a leafy screen, should a chance hu- 
man intrude, it cranes its neck and utters its plaintive whis- 
tle, which the uninitiated attributes to the cry of one of the 
numerous small woodland birds or the creaking of two op- 
posing branches in the wind. Fortunate indeed is the na- 
ture student who is familiar with the Broad-winged Hawk 
in its home. 
Mating. 
I believe this species frequently if not always mate for life, 
but unfortunately direct evidence is wanting. Circumstantial 
evidence in the way of certain peculiarities of situation, nest 
building and material, individuality of the shell markings, etc., 
may apply only to the female. However, the fatalities con- 
stantly occuring in the ranks of the adults, and ithe yearly 
accession of the increase, make the business of mating fairly 
brisk, though so seldom reported. The birds are then posi- 
tively noisy, and very restless. That keen oologist, Preston, 
reporting from the small tributaries of the Red River of the 
me 
