90 



THE OOLOGIST. 



them very closely. Herring Gulls accom- 

 panied them, but I could not obtain any in- 

 formation as to where they breed. Sky- 

 larks were very numerous, also Linnets and 

 Pipits, but these birds have young at this 

 date (June 15). 



As we returned Water Hens and Wild 

 Ducks were upon the pools, but as we were 

 in the train, dashing along at seventy miles 

 an hour I could not obtain any of their eggs, 

 which I felt sure were in the reeds. Swal- 

 lows, Swifts atid Martins were very plen- 

 tiful, taking their evening flight, tl)e Black- 

 bird and Thrush were singing sweetly, and 

 we arrived safely in Sheffield after enjoying 

 a most lovely day, surrounded by Nature's 

 brightest ornaments. Charlks Dixon. 



Sheffield^ Eng. 



Some of the less noticeable Habits 

 of the Broad-winged Hawk. 



A MONG the most observable of the Hawk 

 family in New York State is the Broad- 

 winged Buzzard (^Buteo pen7isylvaniacus) . 

 Though by no means abundant, it never- 

 theless is found in some numbers in all up- 

 land wooded tracts. Its ordinary traits of 

 character and its general breeding habits, 

 do not differ essentially from those of the 

 Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, and 

 it is known under the same general term of 

 Hen-hawk. Comparatively little is knowu 

 of its minor, though perhaps more import- 

 ant habits, and the bird has been accused 

 of being misidentified and confused with the 

 Red-shouldered species, especially in regard 

 to its nesting. Prominent collectors and 

 naturalists have failed to give proper cre- 

 dence to claims of the existing plenitude of 

 its breeding places, and Dr. Coues himself 

 states, that '■'' the nest of this species has 

 but seldom fallen under the notice of nat- 

 uralists" ; and iu other connections in the 

 writings of the same author, its evident 

 scarcity is implied. Audubon apparently 

 considered it a bird of some rarity. The 

 real cause for these statements probably 

 has been the fact, that this is a more local 



bird than most other species of the Hawk 

 family : that is, he is not seen in the same 

 numbers throughout any large extent of 

 country. The New England States, New 

 York, Ohio, and perhaps Pennsylvania. 

 form the confines of his popularity, and it 

 is doubted if in any one district, he is to be 

 found in greater numbers than in the Mo- 

 hawk Valley of New York ; yet its appar- 

 ent scarcity in many localities may be due 

 to the lack of observers and collectors, and 

 most of whom give but little attention to 

 the Hawk family, other than occasionally to 

 beard one upon its nest. 



These deductions are made from a prac- 

 tical point of view, for the Broad-winged 

 Hawk has been the especial mark of our 

 study, and the conclusions brought out by 

 the passing observations of some writers, 

 and the misstated facts of others, do not do 

 proper justice to this, the most interesting 

 and noteworthy of all the commoner Buz- 

 zards. The first bird of prey to be observ- 

 ed in the spring is the Broad-winged Hawk, 

 and its gyrations in the air at this time, us- 

 ually at no great height, are frequent and 

 continued, and often as many as six or eight 

 may be observed at a time. It is one of 

 the first of its race to commence nidifica- 

 tion, though usually the last to rear its 

 young, and is, after once having bred in se- 

 curity, strictly a local and stationary spe- 

 cies, occupying the same old nest year after 

 year, though often under discouraging cir- 

 cumstances. In general, if the nest is rob- 

 bed under the eyes of its owners, they se- 

 renely watch the proceedings from a neigh- 

 boring bough, unless demonstration is made 

 with a gun. Upon due consideration, the 

 situation in again assented to as the most 

 fitting one wherein to rear the young, and 

 the whole ground is again gone over, to be, 

 pei'haps, again made desolate by some en- 

 emy, very likely the same who first secured 

 its treasures. Dismayed only for the time 

 being, though made the instrument of the 

 cruel and selfish desire of man, the unfor- 

 tunate pair generally relinquish hopes of 

 making another attempt the same season, 

 but with the arrival of another year, the 



