THE OOLOGIST 



with a few twigs and sedge leaves 

 gathered together; and the structure 

 had become much flattened out of 

 shape. 



June 29th, there were five young 

 Hawks, all varying in size and age, 

 probably two or three days or more 

 between each. They would spit at 

 you and would snap at the flies which 

 tormented them. Neither parent 

 about when I approached the nest but 

 the mother seen put in appearance; 

 but soared high, which hawk-like 

 cries. She would not come near the 

 nest, even after I hid amid the dog- 

 wood bushes. Very suddenly the 

 father came and he was very angry 

 indeed and continued to circle and 

 wheel and fly low and come directly 

 towards you; but before quite reach- 

 ing you, suddenly to rise and sail 

 over your head. Most of the time I 

 stood by a little elm; but finally went 

 out to the nest waving a green branch. 

 During the father's passion, the young 

 birds, which had previously crawled 

 from the nest under the partial shade 

 of the sedges and bushes from the hot 

 sunshine, lay quiet and almost as if 

 dead, except the youngest occasion- 

 ally peeped. The larger of the young 

 were beginning to show the black of 

 starting wing feathers. Male Redwing 

 Blackbirds and the Kingbirds almost 

 rode through the air on the male 

 Hawk's back. It was very evident 

 from the excited alarm that the Red- 

 wings had a nest somewhere among 

 the sedge tussocks; and the King- 

 birds a nest in the swamp. The mother 

 made no great ado and seemed to 

 leave the protection of the young 

 mostly to her spouse. During the 

 fracas the Catbird in the swamp was 

 trying to imitate some bird song as 

 if nothing happening. 



July 2d, the mother flew from the 

 nest, soared high and went off in 

 search of her mate, who finally came 



over the meadowlands and when he 

 saw me, dropped his mouse in the 

 grass. Although the father circled a 

 good deal, I did not think he was 

 quite so angry as the last time. I 

 went and picked up the mouse and 

 offered it to the little Hawks but they 

 refused to look at it, even when the 

 mouse was torn a bit. Three of them 

 were fat and large and the black of 

 the wing feathers beginning to show 

 more conspicuously through the light 

 gray down. The youngest bird was 

 very puny and did not look as if it 

 had had its share of food. Their feet 

 were yellow with black sharp claws 

 and the bill black, with some yellow 

 on the upper mandible. The eyes 

 bright, black and beady, and at a 

 short distance the young Hawks look- 

 ed like little "old men" or almost sup- 

 erhuman like living skeletons. The 

 father followed me quite a distance 

 when I left and then went mousing. 



The 4th of July, I again visited 

 the nest and got quite close before the 

 mother flew off. She circled about and 

 made more ado than usual and I almost 

 began to think something had happen- 

 ed to her mate, when suddenly he 

 appeared with a much louder cry than 

 usual. He was more angry at me than 

 ever before and circled nearer my 

 head as I stood by the little elm, so 

 close that one felt the breath of his 

 wings. The mother stayed by also 

 and tried to drive me away. First she 

 soared higher, and after resting on an 

 oak tree out of my sight; she began 

 circling almost as close as her mate. 

 She is a beautiful bird, so speckled 

 and is larger in every way than the 

 light-colored mate, and in flight shows 

 the conspicuous white spot on the 

 rump. The Redwings and Kingbirds 

 chased them again with loud cries, 

 and the Hawks resent the intrusion 

 and decidedly quicken their flight. 

 The smallest young Hawk had grown 



