88 THE OSPREY. 



and was composed of sticks and twigs with a thick lining of locust, gum, 

 thorn and other green leaves. Before descending I measured the nest and 

 found that it extended 25 inches from tip to tip of the longest twigs, while 

 the width of nest proper was 14 inches; the area covered with green leaves 

 beinw 6 inches square. The nest as usual was almost flat on top. 



On May 26, this year, two typical nests were found. The first was placed 

 sixty feet up and nine feet from the top of an oak tree, which was situated in 

 a narrow strip of woods. This nest was begun and almost completed last July, 

 so this year, after doubling the materials, the birds put it in use. After an 

 easy climb I reached the nest and secured the one egg, which was bluish white 

 in ground color, with all of one side a dirty brown color, while the other side 

 showed a few splashes of yellowish brown; the measurements were 1.61x1.34. 



The other nest was placed eighty feet from the ground and six feet from 

 the top of a large gum tree, situated in a well wooded pasture. This nest was 

 much larger than any other Kite's nest I have ever examined and was com- 

 posed to a large extent of gray moss, material not noticed in other nests. This 

 nest was observed last winter and has probably been used for several seasons. 



The birds were also unusually aggressive when I reached their home and 

 secured the egg. Even a week later, when I returned with my camera to 

 photograph the nest, one of the Kites darted quite earnestly at me. This egg 

 measured 1.59x1.34. 



On July 8, I determined to spend a few days in the lower part of this 

 county. The following morning after a pleasant trip found me stopping at 

 Newtown Landing, which is situated on the Mississippi River some twenty miles 

 south of Vicksburg. It was not leng until 1 found that Mississippi Kites were 

 abundant and I soon located a nest ninety feet up, near the top of one of the big 

 river-bank cottonwood trees. The nest could plainly be seen from several 

 points and I soon made out the form of a young bird on the edge of it, looking 

 out among the trees and occasionally spreading its wings as though impatient 

 to be free. 



While still looking, a shadow glided through the trees and an old bird 

 lit on the edge of the nest with something in her beak; slowly the young bird 

 turned around to receive its food and then assumed its old position. The 

 parent bird lingered but a minute, then glided away as silently as she had come. 



I sat on a log and watched them for an hour, the parent birds taking turns 

 at feeding the young one, whose restless wings seemed to trouble him much 

 more than his appetite. I watched the youngster for an hour or two for several 

 days until my affection for him grew so strong that my gun was commissioned 

 to add his skin to my collection. The young Kite proved, as I had expected, 

 greatly different from the old birds; the head and neck was covered with white 

 down; the breast, belly and thighs were also covered with down, but this was 



