200 BIRDS 



Without exerting themselves to form a nest, the buz- 

 zards seek out a secluded swamp, palmetto "scrub," 

 sycamore grove, or stteep and sunny hillside, and deposit 

 from one to three eggs, usually two, in the cavity of a 

 stump, or lay them directly on the ground, under a bush, or 

 on a rock — anywhere, in fact, that necessity urges. Rot- 

 ten wood is a favorite receptacle, but the angular bricks of 

 ruined chimneys are not disdained. As a colony of buz- 

 zards, when nestiug, indulges its offensive defensive action 

 most relentlessly, few, except scientists, care to make a 

 close study of the birds' nesting habits. 



