THE OOLOGIST. 



13 



this may seem nothing unusual ; to others 

 it may appear quite unlikely, but it abso- 

 lutely was the fact. Probably the least li- 

 able of these to vary in its breeding locali- 

 ty is the White Ptarmigan, i. e. the least 

 liable to be found in such numbers so far 

 south. 



Not until this year have such numbers 

 of the Snowy Owl been observed and shot 

 in some time. During the past winter they 

 were very abundant in this State, even in 

 the thickly populated districts, and all shy- 

 ness usually ascribed to them appeared to 

 have passed away. Scores one might say, 

 were sent here to be mounted and many 

 were captured alive at various towns in the 

 central districts. Now" it is a question 

 whether these birds were pressed by hun- 

 ger, were driven south by extreme cold, or 

 were transported hither by one of those per- 

 iodical clianges. To all appearances, the 

 northern winter was no more severe than 'it 

 usually is, and if that was the case, food 

 could have been no less obtainable than in 

 ibrmer years. In our opinion, it can be 

 traced from a point favorable to observa- 

 tion, that is undoubtedly the direct cause 

 of this desertion of locality. It can scarce- 

 ly be termed a cause ; more probably it is 

 the instinct of the bird. As is shown with 

 regai-d to other species, it doubtless ivS noth- 

 ing more nor less than a shift ; a great and 

 constant round of occupation. This is our 

 conviction because a studied observance of 

 all attributes likely to impel this circum- 

 stance leads us but this favorable conclu- 

 sion . 



The Sparrow Hawk. 



Falco sparverms. 



^^UR little Sparrow Hawk arrives in 

 the Middle States on the first of April, 

 though a few are resident birds. Its 

 preference for high, thinly- wooded districts 

 is decided, and here, in deserted Wood- 



peckers' holes or the hollows of broken or 

 decayed trees it lays its eggs. In districts 

 where the country is mostly pasture-land, 

 studded here and there with tall, rotton and 

 time-worn trunks, it is at home, and may 

 be studied to the best advantage. Its 

 abundance throughout the entire United 

 States is marked, but it probably commands 

 more attention in the Eastern and Middle 

 States. In habits and general characteris- 

 tics, it corresponds to the European Mer- 

 lin, and like that bird is a favorite with nat- 

 uralists. Various titles are given it, such 

 as Little Hawk, Pigeon Hawk, Chicken 

 Hawk, and others, some equally as absurd 

 as the last. In these districts it subsists 

 upon field mice almost universally, and 

 never attacks birds if this food is obtainable. 

 The reason is probably because the former 

 are very plentiful and comparatively easy 

 of caplvu'e. Occasionally it will devour 

 caterpillars and beetles, but never v\heii 

 more substantial food can be procured. If 

 taken when young and carefully fed, and 

 placed in a spacious cage, it makes an a- 

 greeable and often amusing pet. The eggs 

 are nearly spherical, four, five and six in 

 number, and beautifully covered with fine 

 or coarse spots, dots and blotches of either 

 a light reddish cream or chocolate red, more 

 or less thickly distributed and congregated 

 usually about the maxiniTun end. One and 

 two broods are raised in a season. 



To those having a taste for the study of 

 birds this is no stranger ; its imposing ap- 

 pearance and lively habits place it foremost 

 among the birds one would naturally be led 

 to observe. In the cool morning of a sum- 

 mer day, while seated under a tree, any- 

 where within its district of habitation, one 

 is often quickly aware of its presence by a 

 sudden — Avhish ! and its tlit t-lit, kil-le-kil- 

 le, sounds sharply on the air when it dis- 

 covers that it has exposed itself to your 

 sight. Then it quickly flies to a neighbor- 

 ing stump or dead tree-top, and sits some- 

 times for only a moment, sometimes he 

 will stay for hours, but usually he is soon 

 off in quest of food in another locality. 

 Perched on the towering top of a decayed 



