42 



THE OOLOGIST. 



I watched it carefully and May 4th I 

 visited the nest to collect the eggs, 

 but there was no eggs there. I hunted 

 around and found the female setting 

 on a nest containing four eggs. The 

 nest was built in a maple forty feet up 

 and about forty rods from the first nest 

 found, I collected the eggs. May 10th, 

 I again visited the first nest and col- 

 lected one egg laid by the same bird. 

 Were my eggs a set of five, or 1-4 and 

 1-1? 



Cooper's Hawk, is one of our most 

 common breeders in this locality, of 

 any of this family of birds. 



Nests in April, May and June. 

 Guy H. Briggs, 

 Livermore, Maine. 



Answer. If you took the one egg 

 within 2 or 3 days of May 10th, it was 

 probably the balance of your set of 

 really 5 eggs. If a week or ten days 

 later your bird might have been begin- 

 ning a new set in first nest. 



Ed. 



Was It An Escape? 



In March, 1903, about three o'clock 

 the afternoon of the 27th, I left my 

 home for the purpose of cutting wood. 

 But upon nearing the woods I noticed 

 in a grove of poplar trees, a Grouse 

 eating pople buds and as the house 

 was near I returned for my gun; and 

 upon returning to the grove, found the 

 Grouse still there; and I at once be- 

 gan to wallow through the snow, which 

 was from two to two and one-half feet 

 deep. 



Upon]getting in range, as I drew my 

 gun to fire, I heard a swooping noise, 

 and the Grouse plunged into the snow 

 at my feet. A large hawk barely 

 missed the bird. I at once began 

 to investigate the hole which the 

 Grouse made and found him lying 

 very quiet sixteen or eighteen inches 

 below the surface of the snow. I took 

 it up but it made no effort to get away. 

 I took it home and released it but still 



it made no effort to get away. And its 

 eyes shone like two black beads. Do 

 birds when in danger seek protection 

 from man? 



W. W. Radley, Waupaca, Wis. 



I do not think your bird was seek- 

 ing protection from you though he 

 undoubtedly realized your immediate 

 presence. 



In an exposed situation like you de- 

 scribe the Ruffed Grouse would be 

 aware of your movements some time 

 before you reached the position you 

 did and would have taken flight or 

 flattened himself closely on the upper 

 side of a limb for concealment and 

 protection. Your large Hawk was the 

 main concern of Mr. Grouse as neither 

 of his methods usually available in 

 attempting to escape man would be 

 of any use against a hungry hawk in 

 the winter. 



In his terror of the Buzzard he 

 dropped you out of the problem and 

 sought refuge under the snow. I have 

 seen them do this to avoid hunters 

 with dogs who had them completely 

 surrounded and, after burrowing some 

 distance they will thrust just enough 

 of their head up to watch proceedings. 

 In such cases their eyes always take 

 that set, glossy appearance. 



Your bird was probably too badly 

 terrorized as well as surprised to re- 

 gain at once its natural wildness, but 

 I don't think it would prove docile for 

 any very considerable time. 



Ed. 



Caution. 



We are informed on good authority 

 that certain parties are offering sets of 

 American Three-toed Wood-pecker, |Gt. 

 Northern Shrike, Passenger Pigeon, 

 and Lincoln's Sparrow from Water- 

 down, Ont., Can. 



As two of these birds do not breed 

 there at all and the other two very 

 doubtfully, we would caution all col- 

 lectors to restrain their anxiety to fill 

 these gaps in their collections until 

 they have these sets properly identi- 

 fied. 



The Editor has been taken in by 

 some clever work in fixing up sets dur- 



