The American Kestrel 



at Cholame we discovered wolves in a sheep cote, or in other words, a 

 pair of Sparrow Hawks nesting in a dove cote. The doves did not seem 

 to fear the intruders, and it is possible that they enjoyed a certain immun- 

 ity, not only from these, but from other birds of prey, on account of 

 their presence. 



The eggs, which seldom have any softer resting place than chips and 

 stones, or the rotten wood which the woodpeckers have left them, are 

 among the handsomest of oological treasures. The lime of the shell, still 

 plastic, has been generously sprinkled with cinnamon, and a warm glow 

 imparted to the whole. It is not improbable, however, that we see in the 

 case of these eggs the incipient workings of nature's inexorable economy. 

 The eggs of all hole-nesting species are either white or tend to revert to 

 white. Now Falcons' eggs are normally very richly colored, sometimes 

 almost solid red. Eggs of the Sparrow Hawk, however, average much 

 lighter in coloration than those of any other American Falcon. A set, 

 1/5-01 in the M. C. O. collection, taken by Evan Davis near East Orange, 

 is almost unmarked. This was taken from a deep cavity in a hollow 

 sycamore; whereas the most heavily colored set in the collection, 10/5- 12, 

 was taken in a comparatively open situation, viz., a deserted nest of the 

 Yellow-billed Magpie {Pica nuttalli) near Shandon. 



We are indebted to a fellow member of the Cooper Ornithological 

 Club, Miss Althea R. Sherman, of National, Iowa, for a model study of the 

 nesting habits of the American Sparrow Hawk. 1 From this excellent 

 paper we learn that eggs are deposited on alternate days, and that incu- 

 bation requires 29 or 30 days. Incubation is almost wholly performed 

 by the female, and upon her devolves the protection of the nesting site, 

 and all immediate ministration to the young. The male bird faithfully 

 provides food both for their young and for his mate, turning his successive 

 catches over to the latter at an appointed rendezvous, or else meeting her 

 in midair at some distance from the nest. Food, in the instance under 

 observation, consisted chiefly of meadow mice, birds (fledglings for the 

 most part), insects, and ground squirrels. Most of the prey was skinned 

 or well plucked before being presented to the young, and rended, or not, 

 according to their stage of development. Birds were headless, tailless, 

 and wingless, as well as carefully plucked. Birds nesting in the immediate 

 vicinity were not molested, and the falcons appeared to wish to live on 

 good terms with their neighbors. 



The young birds did not fight for food in the presence of their mother, 

 but she apportioned to the females a notably larger share, and they soon 

 manifested a fiercer disposition and dominant qualities. At the time they 

 left the nest, 26 to 28 days after hatching, the females weighed twenty 



1 "The Auk," Vol. XXX., July, 1913, pp. 406-418. 



164I 



