62 



THE OOLOGIST 



\(^n 



this rather unique set in his collection 

 and a sigh for what might have been 

 not only for the study and series but 

 what is even more, eight young hawks 

 mousing over our fields quartering 

 and beating like enthusiastic young 

 hunting dogs who, while they so nobly 

 go about their mousing lend charm 

 and animation to our landscapes. He, 

 the farmer, had sixty little chicks, the 

 apple of his eye; and while he had 

 never known them to molest or offer 

 to molest his flock big or little, still 

 they might and he did not propose to 

 take any further risks. He was settled 

 in his rutty prejudice beyond per- 

 adventure of dislodgment that was 

 seen at once and argument were not 

 wasted. 



A description of the nest and 1 am 

 done. Located in the midst of an ir- 

 regular bit of rush-marsh built on a 

 tussock of the same within less than 

 an eighth of a mile of a public road. 

 This marsh, a Juncus. one of the com- 

 monest found in wet places has round 

 pale green stems or culms filled with 

 pith. The particular clump was 

 mashed down so as to be as flat and 

 hard as a board and like a stump or 

 block of wood sustained the nest it- 

 self a very bulky compact gatheration 

 of stuff. Its outside measurements 

 were 23 inches both ways, 8 inches 

 across the cavity both ways and 2^/4 

 inches deep. It was composed of dead 

 weeds plucked up by the roots — yar- 

 row was much in evidence with its 

 old fruit heads, dead willow switches 

 almost 3 feet long; lined with grass, 

 being as before said, very flat, shallow 

 and compact. It was a surprise to see 

 this flat tray of eggs laying right out 

 there in the open dry marsh not 400 

 feet from the barn, exposed to all 

 creation as if the birrds had got close 

 to man for protection (and he betrayed 

 them). I was affected as if this were 

 some half-wild hen's nest, which she 

 had stolen. There they lay revealed 



to the sun and the open sky and I 

 had little doubt but the piercing eyes 

 of the pair on high could see them ly- 

 ing so frankly revealed. 



For plates illustrating this article 

 see Vol. XXA'II. pages 92-94-97. — Editor 



PEALE'S FALCON. 

 By T. H. Jackson and R. P. Sharpies. 



Among the rarest eggs in North 

 American Oological collections may 

 be mentioned sets of the Peale Falcon, 

 a northern sub-species of the Duck 

 Hawk. On another page we have re- 

 produced the photo of two sets of 

 these eggs, collected by Mr. Geo. Wil- 

 lett. and now in the cabinets of the 

 writers. These are wonderfully fine 

 sets. 



A close examination will show that 

 three of the eggs are heavily ringed 

 around the smaller end. Otherwise 

 the eggs are very similar to those of 

 the Duck Hawk. 



In writing up the history of these 

 sets, Mr. Willett says that they were 

 taken on Forrester Island, off the 

 coast of Alaska. Several pairs of the 

 birds were nesting there. One nest 

 examined on June 13. 1915. contained 

 two young about two weeks old. Most 

 of the young were fiying by July 20th, 

 and hunting for themselves by the 

 25th. 



This Hawk appears to feed entirely 

 on other birds, which were very 

 abundant, though they were confined 

 apparently to a few species, mostly 

 Puffins, Auklets and Murrelets. 



The parent Falcons were collected 

 and forwarded to the Smithsonian 

 Institution where they were identified 

 as typical specimens. 



MAY DAY WITH THE SPARROW 



HAWKS. 



Richard C. Harlow. 



The morning of May 1. 1913. dawned 

 bright and clear, so I decided to put 

 the day in throughout the open, rolling 



