with rusty brown; egg (4) has the same 
ground color, but is almost wholly un- 
marked with the exception of one or two 
light-colored specks on one side; egg (c) 
has a deep bluish-white ground, and is 
evenly and handsomely marked with small 
reddish blotches. A set of two eggs in my 
collection are faintly marked with dull 
brown at the smaller end. ‘The eggs are 
usually ovate in shape, and average 2.05 x 
1.70 in size. The birds breed principally 
in the bottom-lands, usually in a thickly 
wooded section bordering some river or 
stream of fair size, but seldom at any great 
distance from water. The largest trees 
growing here are pin-oak, elm and pecan 
trees, and in these the nests are built usu- 
ally in a fork of the main trunk or of some 
large out-branching limb, at an elevation 
of from 30 to 60 feet from the ground The 
nests are large and bulky,composed for the 
most part of large sticks, lined with tree 
moss, dry grass, and in some instances a 
few feathers. The nests are used for several 
seasons by the same pair of birds. The 
birds always fill the nests with a small 
quaitity of green elm leaves or green cedar 
twigs, before the eggs are deposited, and 
afterwards add more. Nearly all of the 
eggs taken this season were more or less 
stained by these leaves. I notice that the 
cedar twigs are principally found in the nests 
discovered early in the year, as in the case 
of a backward spring, like the one past, the 
trees did not get their leaves as early as 
usual and the green leaves were not so 
easily obtained. Four nests were meas- 
ured, ‘he first, situated in a triple fork of 
a tall pin-oak, at a height of 50 feet, was 
an old nest repaired, and measured 23 
inches in diameter, outside, and 12 inches 
in depth, outside. Nest (2) was 45 feet up 
ina pin-oak tree, was an old nest repaired, 
and measured 20 inches in diameter, out- 
side. Nest (c) was about 4o feet from the 
ground, ina pecan tree, was a new nest, 
and measured 16 inches in diameter, out- 
side, 9 inches in diameter, inside, and 9 
inches in depth, outside. Nest (7) was 
situatea ata height of 38 feet, in a large 
elm tree, and was 18 inches in diameter, 
Only one nest examined had a deep cavity, 
in all others they were rather shallow. 
Early last spring a young man presented 
me with a livespecimen of the Florida Red- 
shouldered Hawk, with its wings badly 
injured. I kept it confined for several days 
in a large lynx cage, but although it was 
THE NIDOLOGIST 
117 
not at all pugnacious and I frequently 
handled it, it refused all food. I tried on 
several occasions to induce it to fly, but its 
wings were too badly injured, and knowing 
that if I let it go free it would be tortured 
by boys or dogs, I despatched it to put it 
outof misery. During its captivity the cage 
that the Hawk was confined in was near a 
Dove cote, and whenever the Doves would 
fly near the cage it would fly against the 
bars as though attempting to capture them. 
When I would approach the Hawk it would 
slightly raise its wings, gaze wonderingly 
at me, and crouch low in a corner of its 
cage. ‘The flight of this species is usually 
easy and graceful, but if harrassed by foes, 
such as a pair of Crows or other Hawks, 
they fly awkwardly and aimlessly around. 
not appearing to defend themselves as much 
as to attempt their escape. I have fre- 
quently seen them pursued by Crows, and 
on one occasion, on February 17; 1894 ,I 
observed one fleeing before a little Rusty- 
crowned Falcon (Falco sparverius). I made 
mada mention before of the almost invari- 
able habit these Hawks have of breeding 
near water, and this year I was presented a 
striking illustration of the truth of this. In 
1894, a point about ten miles to the west 
of Waco was visited. Here I found a very 
thick, though rather long and narrow,strip 
of woods bordering a running stream, anda 
number of Florida Red-shonldered Hawks 
were observed here, as well as several of 
their nests. In 1895 the same place was 
visited on several occasions, and the stream 
was found to be perfectly dry, there not 
being even a trace of water found. Audu- 
bon’s Caracara, the Vulture, and many 
other species of both large and small birds 
which are usually found here, were seen 
quite commonly, and the nests of some 
species were examined, but not a single 
individual of the Florida Red-shouldered 
Hawk was seen. As the birds are never 
molested here, I can arrive at no other 
conclusion than that this species deserted 
the locality for one near a running stream. 
JoHN KERN STRECKER, JR. 
Waco, Texas. 
—————— > Ss 
A. W. ANTHONY, of San Diego, Cal., is to leave 
shortly on a cruise to Lower Caliturnia, accom- 
panied by Horace A. Gaylord, of Pasadena, as his 
assistant, and James Gaylord as botanist. They 
will be absent about three months, visiting the 
islands of Guadaloupe, Cerros, Natividad and 
others, 
