THE OSPREY. 23 



to collect a series of these eggs and their discovery has been by accident as it 

 were, though I will admit that whenever I have heard the alarm note of this 

 bird I have generally made a successful search for its nest. 



1. Set of two fresh eggs taken May 6, 1S93. Nest in tulip poplar, about 

 forty feet from the ground; made of sticks lined with flakes of bark and 

 green leaves. 



2. Set of one fresh egg taken May 11, 1895, from the same nest as set 

 No, 1. 



3. Set of one egg, showing traces of blood, taken May 15, 1897. Nest 

 situated in the three-pronged fork of a white oak, about forty feet from the 

 ground. It was composed of sticks, lined with green leaves, and was about 15 

 inches in diameter with the rather shallow egg cavity about 8 inches. I took 

 two young from this nest in 1896. 



4. Set of three fresh eggs taken May 3, 1899. Nest in a maple, about 

 thirty feet from the ground, composed of moderate-sized sticks, lined with 

 pine, oak and maple bark, with a few green leaves. The nest was rather 

 small, about 15 inches in outside diameter, with the egg cavity about 8 inches. 

 The character of the country around the nest was rather open timber, com- 

 posed of hardwood and pine. The parent hawk, contrary to custom, slid off 

 the nest when I was about half way up and left without raising any outcry. 



5. Set of two nearly incubated eggs taken May 20, 1901. The nest was 

 in the crotch of a rather small chestnut, about 35 feet from the ground. It 

 was a rather large nest for this species, composed of medium-sized sticks, lined 

 with flakes of bark and green leaves. From the ground it resembled the nest 

 of the Common Crow very much. I found the nest the Sunday before by 

 hearing the nest-call and then looking for the cause of it. Both the male and 

 female were present or rather appeared on the scene soon after I took the 

 eggs. They sat motionless a short distance oflF and gave their mournful call 

 at intervals, but aside from this they made no demonstration against the rob- 

 bery of their home. 



All of the above sets are now in the U. S. National Museum. 



RAMBLES ABOUT MY OLD HOME. 

 By Milton S. Ray. 



When the memories of by-gone days come flitting back from the fast re- 

 ceding past, one feels an irresistible longing for the scenes of his childhood. 

 In this respect I am fortunate, for I have but to b'^ard a train at my door and 

 after being whisked through a rather uninteresting stretch of country for 18 

 miles, find myself at San Mateo, and, after half an hour's walk, I am at my 



