44 



THE OOLOOIST 



ing where a saw-mill had done its 

 work of devastation. From this open- 

 ing a general view of the steep mount- 

 ain side was had and it revealed a 

 jagged, rocky cliff towering some 

 three hundred feet above us. This 

 we decided must be the place we were 

 looking for, and I started to ascend 

 the rocks. No sooner had I reached 

 the lower shelvings of the bluff than 

 the strange cries of a bird caused me 

 to glance out over the river far below, 

 and there I at once recognized my 

 first Duck Hawk. It circled and dart- 

 ed about, apparently much distressed 

 at my intrusion on its long cherished 

 abode. Soon it was joined by its mate 

 and together they sailed about in the 

 usual falcon maneuvers, which so 

 much reminded me of certain actions 

 of the little Sparrow Hawk. 



Earth had accumulated for years in 

 the cracks and crevices of the cliff 

 and a few scraggly hemlocks and low 

 black birches had sunk their tangled 

 roots beneath this soil. By grasping 

 hold of these I pulled myself from 

 shelf to shelf until I reached the high- 

 er point of rocks. Here I felt sure 

 the falcons had their nest, for numer- 

 ous feathers and bones were strewn 

 upon the rocks and white washed 

 patches of rock extended below the 

 crannies. But certain crevices that 

 lay beneath protruding shelves were 

 inaccessible to one without a rope. 

 Thus I gave up the search and paused 

 a while to watch the circling, scream- 

 ing birds until they vanished across 

 the mountain ridge which lay over 

 the river. Then they were seen no 

 more. 



Upon my return to the hunter's 

 home I asked him if he had ever seen 

 these "rock hawks" near the cliff and 

 he told me they had been there ever 

 since he was a little boy. He and 

 some neighbor men had at various 

 times visited the nest, which he said 



was in a crevice beneath a projecting 

 ledge at the extreme point of the 

 bluff, and had taken the young birds. 

 Just last spring his brother had 

 secured two young Falcons which he 

 was attempting to raise at home. Ac- 

 cording to his tale there were never 

 more than three and sometimes only 

 two young. To his knowledge no or- 

 nithologists had visited the nest and 

 few persons knew of its location. 



This then is undoubtedly an isolat- 

 ed pair of duck hawks which the 

 Pennsylvania ornithologists have 

 never located. It is my desire to visit 

 the place next spring and find the 

 nest and examine the eggs, and if 

 good luck favors me I shall have more 

 to say concerning this wary falcon. 



The Broad-Wing Hawk 



The broad-wing hawk although not 

 common, is not know to East Texas. 

 They do not frequent the more settled 

 portions as do the Red Shoulder, and 

 the Coopers Hawk, but are seen more 

 often in the bottoms and wooded dis- 

 tricts and usually at a great distance 

 from human habitation. 



The Broad-Wing starts mating and 

 nest building about the last part of 

 February and finish laying before the 

 middle of March. Their nests are 

 large structures, usually in the fork 

 of an Oak and range from thirty to 

 sixty feet from the ground; they are 

 made of course twigs and lined with 

 green leaves, usually pine straw. The 

 eggs, which as a rule are three in 

 number, average slightly larger than 

 those of the Red-Shoulder. These 

 birds are very wild and leave the 

 nest when the tree is "tapped" and 

 circle high above the nest while the 

 nest is being examined or the eggs 

 collected. 



The Broad-Wing, along with the 

 rest of the Hawk family, is very much 

 persecuted by farmers and hunters, 



