142 THE NIDOLOGIST 
over. After sailing and screaming for a 
long time she returned to the nest, alighting 
on the ledge and after looking about for a 
few minutes walked up to the nest. The 
following day the descent to the nest was 
made, it being twenty feet from the top of 
the cliff, placed on a narrow ledge three 
feet wide, under overhanging rock. There 
were a few small dry sticks on either side 
of the eggs but no real nest. - The male was 
sitting on a cliff seventy-five yards from 
the nest at the time of the visit, the only 
time he was seen. The female flew across 
the canyon and lit on a dry limb of an oak 
and screamed but little, in contrast to 
former visits.”’ The set of four eggs is of 
the dark type, evenly marked. 
Mr. Cohen read a paper describing the 
experiences of Roswell S. Wheeler and 
himself with a pair of Duck Hawks the past 
season. The first visit was made April 4. 
‘“We were now almost on the highest point 
of the surrounding country, but before 
crossing the last canyon had sat down to 
take in the sights, and while gazing at the 
‘nest rocks’ saw a Falcon fly from a small 
ledge. When half way up the incline we 
saw another bird fly from a small cave in 
the rock nearest tous. This bird proved 
to be the female, and the ‘first one was the 
male, who had evidently been keeping 
vigil from the ledge on the adjoining rock 
about twenty-five yards away, and from 
his position of vantage had seen us long 
before we could have seen him, as his post 
commanded a view for miles over the 
neighboring country. We were soon on 
top of the ‘nest rock,’ a large, sugar-loaf 
shaped affair. A rope was soon adjusted 
and Mr. Wheeler began the descent down 
the sloping rock. The female Falcon was 
by far the more aggressive, while the male 
kept much farther away, sometimes flying 
out of sight and finally toa perch on a dead 
oak acrossa gully. The nearer the nest 
was approached the more enraged did the 
female become, screaming lustily and mak- 
ing frequent swoops at the collector. The 
wing beats of the birds were short and 
rapid, much after the manner of the 
Swifts. 
The cave was about 5x3, and about three 
feet high inside. No attempt was made at 
a nest. The eggs, four in number, re- 
clined on the sandy floor in the middle of 
the cave, three being in the depression and 
highly incubated, while the fourth lay near 
the opening of the cave, partially covered 
with fine gravel and excrement. This egg 
had not been incubated and was more 
richly colored than the others, being of a 
pinkish shade below and rich brown on top, 
with marblings around the center. Another 
egg was very rich dark brown and the 
other two were rather plain by comparison. 
The eggs are quite round in shape. On 
April 30 the locality was again visited. 
Before the base of the hill was reached the 
male flew from the original sentry box and 
over the ‘nest rock’ for a few moments 
and then flew from view. The female 
finally lew from a hole behind the ledge 
where the male was accustomed to watch, 
and dashed past the collectcr several times. 
Twice she mounted aloft and turned half a 
back somersault and pitched headlong 
downward with incredible swiftness, keep- 
ing up a continual screeching. The male 
kept high in the air, diverting his rapid 
wing beats several times to a sailing or 
gliding motion, and his notes, uttered three 
or four times, were less harsh and distressed 
than those of the female, in fact entirely 
different in tone. 
The hole containing the nest was about 
ten feet from the top of a perpendicular 
cliff, and was about two feet in diameter by 
about the same in height. The eggs, thzee 
in number, lay on a small pile of bones of 
small quadrupeds on the sandy floor. 
Doubtless many a luckless rabbit and squir- 
rel fell prey to these swift-winged, sure- 
footed birds. The eggs were almost fresh, 
being slightly incubated and of the same 
skape and size as the former set, but richer 
and handsomer.’’ 
The Northern Division meets Sept. 5 at 
Mr. Osgood’s residence in San Jose. 
_ -oe 
A “Full Set of Rail’s.” 
On June g I was exploring a little inland 
swamp in St. Clair county, Michigan, and ran 
across a Rail’s nest that puzzled me greatly. I 
flushed a King Rail off the nest, but imagine my 
surprise when I found it to contain 17 eggs—g of 
the King Rail and 7 of the Virginia Rail, and to 
cap the climax, one of the Sora Rail. 
The nest was unusually large, and flattened 
down. Could all three Rails usc the nest as their 
own or had some one of them deserted it while 
the other Rails hatched out the batch of eggs? 
I would like to have some explanation on the 
subject B. H. SwWALEs. 
Detroit, Mich. 
eee 
THE take of a set of four Hermit Warblers 
recorded in our last number, was credited, by 
mistake, to W. H. Osgood. The good fortune 
came to Rollo H. Beck. 
