242 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



situation. I have found their nests in poplar, cottonwood, box 

 elder, upon " cut banks " (clay cliffs) of streams, and upon clay 

 domes in the " bad lands " south of Wood Mountain. In the 

 spring of 1894 one pair built a nest upon the tower of a windmill 

 at Langeviti on the C. P. Ry. west of Medicine Hat. It had to 

 be taken down, however, as it interfered with the working of the 

 mill. The highest nest I have seen was not more than 30 feet 

 from the ground. Nests were always near water, but I think that 

 this is' more because the cut banks and trees are usually along the 

 streams and not for any preference that they have for it. On nth 

 June, 1894, took two nests at Crane Lake, Assa. Both contained 

 young ones. The nests were very large. One was built of sticks 

 and cow dung lined with dry grass ; the other of sticks alone 

 lined with dry grass. The young are white when first hatched. 

 Their chief food is gophers, of which I have seen a number in the 

 nests, as well as at the foot of the tree or bank where the nest 

 was. {Spreadborough.) 



This species builds a very large nest and seems to prefer the 

 old one to, a new structure. All the nests seen were composed 

 of large sticks for the body of the nest, then the droppings of 

 horses and cattle to consolidate the margins, and lastly lined 

 inside with the inner bark of dead box elder and poplar. Two 

 nests were taken on 27th May, 1895, each had three eggs 

 originally, but in one the young were just hatched. Each nest 

 was in the fork of a box elder about 10 feet from the ground. 

 {Macoun.) 



I have examined about a dozen nests of this bird in northern 

 Assiniboia. It is an early breeder, laying its eggs early in May, 

 and building a very large nest in the highest trees it can find. It 

 lays from three to five handsomely marked eggs. Most of the 

 nests I have examined contained dead gophers, proving that this 

 is another useful hawk to the farmer. {W. Raine.) 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Two ; a male and a female. The latter was taken at Indian 

 Head, Assa., in May, 1892, by W. Spreadborough. The male was 

 taken on the Cypress Hills, Assa., by the writer, Aug. 2nd, 1880. 



A set of three eggs taken at Indian Head, Assa., in May, 1892; 

 and another of three taken at Old Wives' Creek, Assa., June 26th, 

 1895, ^y W. Spreadborough. 



