THE SHOET-TAILED HAWK. 247 



May, 1888, I saw pairs of Hawks that were certainly the same birds. They 

 were always very shy and wary, and difficult to approach in any way. About 

 200 yards in the open was as near as one could generally approach. They 

 frequented the vicinity of hammocks, and their habits, except the extreme 

 shyness, appeared much like those of the common Red-shouldered Hawk of 

 this region. * * * 



"On the 16th of March, 1889, near Tarpon Springs, I found a pair of 

 these Hawks just starting to build a nest. The locality was on the edge of 

 a hammock, and the nest, the foundation of which was finished, was in a gum 

 tree some 40 feet from the ground. Both birds were seen in the act of placing 

 additional material on the structure. As the birds were rare and I could not 

 risk their being killed or driven away, with the aid of a native hunter both 

 were secured, though before killing them I was certain of their identity. 

 * * * The female (No. 6392) of this pair had eggs with the yolks almost 

 developed and would have laid within a week. From the appearance of the 

 ovary and oviduct, I believe that three eggs would have been laid." 1 



Dr. William L. Ralph has also met with this species occasionally in the 

 vicinity of San Mateo, Florida, and informs me that he saw two or three speci- 

 mens during the spring of 1891. He says: "The native hunters and cattle- 

 men seem to know this bird, and say that it breeds here. They call it the 

 'Little Black Hawk,' and state that if is more common in the spring and 

 summer than in winter." 



Mr. C. J. Pennock, in a short article on the nesting habits of this species 

 at St. Marks, Florida, makes the following statement: "Early in April, 1889, 

 while on a collecting trip at St. Marks, Florida, I spent several days in the 

 swamps that line the Gulf coast. April 3 I noticed a small Black Hawk fly 

 to a nest in a pine tree, about 3 miles from the coast. On climbing to the 

 nest, I found that the tree had formerly been occupied by Herons, there being 

 three old nests besides the one occupied by the Hawk, which I also took for an 

 old Heron's nest. It had evidently been recently repaired, and contained two 

 or three fresh twigs of green cypress on the bottom. At this time there were 

 no eggs, but I again visited the nest April 8. The old bird was seen near, and 

 this time showed some concern, flying around us above the tree tops as we 

 approached, and several times uttering a cry somewhat resembling the scream 

 of the Red-shouldered Hawk, but more shrill and not so prolonged. The nest 

 had received further additions of cypress twigs, but was still empty. My boat- 

 man wrote me, May 2, stating that after three visits he had shot the bird on the 

 nest and taken one egg. He skinned her but found no more eggs." 2 



Mr. Pennock has kindly loaned me this egg, and I am thus enabled to 

 figure it. He describes it as dull white, showing blue when held against a 

 strong light. It is spotted on the larger end with reddish brown in small 

 spots and blotches over about one-fourth of the surface. A few finer spots 

 extend to the middle of the smaller end, where, however, they can hardly 



'Auk, Vol. VI, 1889, No. 3, pp. 243-245. *Auk, Vol. vn, 1890, No. 1, pp. 56, 57. 



