70 THE NIDOLOGIST 
Two Days with the [lississippi 
Kite. 
N May, 1892, while camped on Pease River, 
if near the toot of the plains (Llano Esta- 
cado), I secured my first sets of Missis- 
sipp! Kite. 
I had just taken a fresh set of Red-headed 
Woodpecker, and was admiring their rich, pink 
tint, and wondering if I could not reproduce 
it with red ink, when a rush of wings quite 
near my head diverted my attention; on look- 
ing behind me, I saw that the noise had been 
caused by a small Hawk (then known to me 
only as the “ Blue Darter), and that she had 
wheeled and was again coming at my head. 
After afew minutes’ search I located the nest in 
a wild china tree, and only about seven or 
eight feet from the ground. Catching the 
branch I pulled it down and secured two plain, 
white eggs, one of them being stained from 
contact with some green leaves, which had 
either fallen or been placed in the nest. They 
measured as follows: 1.52x1.27 and 1.53x1.28; 
on blowing them I found that they had been 
slightly incubated. 
The nest was about sixteen or eighteen 
inches across (I measured it by my hand only), 
and a very slight depression was made for the 
reception of the eggs. 
About two hundred or two hundred and fifty 
yards away I came upon a second nest, placed in 
a small oak; as the nest was only a little higher 
than my head, I had no difficulty in examining 
its contents; these were a very young bird and 
an egg already picked. Very much disgusted 
I turned away, and, to vent my displeasure, 
picked up a stone and threw it at the parent, 
who had settled on a cottonwood about fifty 
feet away; but on rising I noticed that she had 
quitted her perch and was making a “‘ bee line”’ 
for my head. When about ten feet away she 
swerved to one side, and I left her in possession 
of the ranch. 
Going on toward the camp, I went nearly a 
mile without finding anything but a Mourning 
Dove’s nest, and had given up the hunt for 
eggs, and was shooting a few Quail for supper, 
when my gun frightened another Blue Darter 
off her nest, only a few feet away from me; this 
time the nest was placed in a pecan sapling 
and was about ten or eleven feet up, so I was 
compelled to climb for it. ‘The nest was little 
more than a platform, about the same size as 
the first, and contained only one egg; this egg 
was badly incubated, and like the others was 
plain white, a little nest stained; it measured 
1.62X1.34. 
All three of these nests were found on the 
evening of May 27, 1892, and though I searched 
diligently and made several inquiries, I failed to 
find any more until the next year. 
In the harvesting season my business (re- 
pairing harvesters) frequently takes me all over 
this (Haskell) county. On June 15, 1893, 
after having repaired a harvester about fifteen 
miles from town, I and a friend who was with 
me decided to put in the balance of the day on 
the Double Mountain fork of the Brazos River, 
which was about five or six miles farther. After 
driving about four miles we came to the bot- 
tom and began looking for eggs. Our first 
find was a Mockingbird, with four fresh eggs; 
next I found a nest of a Woodpecker, and 
while digging out the hole I scared some bird 
out of a tree near by. My friend went to in- 
vestigate, and began shouting and hallooing at 
me to come on, assuring me that he certainly 
had found a nest. 
I hastened to him, and found that he had 
gone up the tree and was starting out on the 
limb on which the nest was located; the nest L 
found to be composed entirely of sticks, the 
largest being about as large around as a man’s 
forefinger; it was about nine feet from the 
ground, in an oak tree, and when my friend 
held the two eggs in sight I saw at once that 
they were Mississippi Kite’s. ‘They were nearly 
fresh, and measured 1.75x1.41 and 1.72X1.35. 
After packing them safely we started on and 
went nearly half a mile before finding anything 
more; then my friend shouted, “ Whoa!” just 
as I noticed another Kite leaving her nest in 
the top of a wild china tree. I jumped out of 
the buggy on one side and he on the other, and 
as I ran to my tree he remained (as I supposed) 
to tie the horse; but before I had reached my 
tree he remarked, ‘‘ Here are two more of them; 
where are you going?” 
Looking back I found thathe had discovered 
a nest just above the horse, and pulling the 
limb down secured two more eggs. When L 
reached my nest I found it contained only one 
egg, which I immediately secured, and sliding 
down the tree returned to the buggy. My egg 
measured 1.59x1.36, and, contrary to my expec- 
tation, was far advanced; the other two mea- 
sured 1.57x1.28 and 1 56x1.28; incubation was 
advanced. 
Packing these away we again climbed into the 
buggy and drove on, but had only gone a short 
distance when we came to another nest in a 
wild china. Driving under the nest we could 
easily reach into it, as it was not over eight feet 
from the ground. We took from it two eggs 
which measured 1.58x1.37 and 1.62x1.36; these 
were nearly fresh. 
Securing these eggs we turned our horse 
toward home, and were congratulating each 
other on our success, when just ahead of us a 
