THE OOLOGIST 



59 



American Hawk Owl on Nesting Stub. — Photo by A. D. Henderson 



Nesting of the American Hawk Owl 



The American Hawk owl is not an 

 uncommon resident in the vicinity of 

 Belvidere Alberta, though some 

 seasons they seem more numerous 

 than others, depending perhaps on the 

 food supply. Numbers are killed by 

 imitation sportsmen and settlers' boys 

 as they make a good mark for a 22 

 rifle. This is a pity as they are inter- 

 esting and useful little birds. 



The egg collectors seem to have a 

 bad name with the wise and learned 

 men ?) who frame our game laws, but 

 I would be willing to bet that one 

 sportsman, or one pet cat or a bird 

 dog running loose in the breeding 



season will destroy more bird life 

 than twenty average collecting oolo- 

 gists. I have collected eggs here for 

 three years and in that time did not 

 shoot half a dozen birds for identifica- 

 tion purposes. As for the eggs taken, 

 every collector knows that when a set 

 of eggs is taken most birds, by a wise 

 provision of nature are still able to 

 lay a second, or even a third set and 

 raise a brood just the same. How- 

 ever, as long as our bird and game 

 laws are made by men whose knowl- 

 edge of woodcraft would hardly enable 

 them to tell a muskrat from a beaver, 

 or a crow from a black bird the col- 

 lector will be up against harsh and al- 



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