116 THE BIRDS 
coast and central Texas, mainly east of the Mississippi; 
winters from the Ohio and Delaware Valleys south to 
Venezuela and Peru. 
Though during a residence of over twenty years in this 
section, during which time I have failed to find an 
authentic record of these birds breeding in Tidewater, 
I am still rather certain that a pair do breed with us now 
and then. William C. Rives’ “Catalogue of the Birds of 
the Virginias,” quotes Mr. C. L. Phillips as having seen 
a dead bird in Warwick County in May, 1887. This was 
probably a migratory bird, as many hawks are still going 
northward during the early part of that month. They do 
breed, though, in the western part of this State, and north- 
ward near Washington. J am not prepared to say if they 
positively breed eastward of Richmond. The nest is 
usually placed in the crotch of some large tree, from ten 
to thirty feet up, rather a bulky, loosely made structure 
of small sticks, with inner surface of cedar bark and scales 
of the pine tree bark. The eggs have a dull whitish or 
faint greenish ground, blotched, dotted and lined with 
faint and heavy markings of chestnut or reddish-brown. 
Size of eggs, 1.90x1.55. Two to three eggs, rarely four, 
constitute a full set, and are laid about May 5th to 20th. 
Only one brood a season. Numerous birds of this species 
are seen during the migrations, and a few winter with us. 
Their food consists of all the smaller mammals, such as 
squirrels, rats, mice, and young rabbits, while frogs, 
beetles, and grasshoppers form a large part of their daily 
food. Small snakes and birds are occasionally eaten, 
though in the minority, and they should be classed as a 
beneficial bird, and be protected. 
