THE BIRDS OP NEW JERSEY. 85 



white tip; under surface white, tinged with rusty on the 

 breast and spotted with black on the sides. Female, back 

 and tail transversely barred with black and rusty; lower 

 surface, white, whole breast longitudinally sti'eaked with 

 brown; head as in the male. 



The bird nests in hollow trees, twenty feet or more 

 from the ground, sometimes in woodpeckers' holes or in 

 dove cotes. Mating begins about the middle of May. 

 The eggs are from three to seven in number, of a creamy 

 to a light brown, one and two-fifths by one and one-fifth 

 inches in size. 



It breeds throughout temperate North America and in 

 winter goes as far south as South America. It occurs in 

 New Jersey at all seasons. It has a peculiar cry, some- 

 what resembling killy-MUy killy Mlly. 



The food of the Sparrow Hawk consists principally of 

 grasshoppers and other noxious insects; in the fall it de- 

 stroys Sparrows and other small birds. Government ex- 

 amination of 133 stomachs showed that 1 contained 

 a game bird, 28 other birds, 55 mice, 6 other mam- 

 mals, 5 reptiles, 83 insects, 12 spiders and 5 were empty. 

 Examination of 3:^0 stomachs showed that 1 contained 

 a game bird, 53 other birds, 89 mice, 12 other mammals, 12 

 reptiles, 215 insects, 29 spiders, 23 wei'e empty. In 158 

 stomachs were found 31 birds, 79 mice and other mam- 

 mals, 8 reptiles and 1,125 insects. 



Hell-niver. See Pied-billed Grebe. 



MeroH, Crreat Blue, or Blue Crane. — Length, from 

 forty-two to fifty inches; extent, six feet; bill, four and 

 a half to six and one-fourth inches; head, with drooping 

 crest of black and white ; back, Slaty gray; breast, black 

 and white, almost covered with tufts of feathers from the 

 neck; belly, a deep blackish slate; sides, blue ash ; tail, slaty 

 gray; wings, slaty gray; legs and feet, black. The young 

 are much streaked with rufous below. 



