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5. Falco colnmbarius. Pigeon Hawk. — A set of four eggs from 
Amherst Island was taken under the following circumstances : Mr. Frazar 
was passing a spruce-clad knoll surrounded by a boggy swamp, when he 
noticed a pair of Pigeon Hawks circling above the trees. Approaching, 
he quickly discovered their nest, 'built in a dense spruce at the intersec- 
tion of a horizontal branch with the main stem and ai a height of about 
ten feet. As he climbed the tree the Hawks, now thoroughly alarmed for 
the safety of their charge, dashed wildly about his head, frequently passing 
within a few feet and uttering shrill screams of anger or dismay. After 
taking the eggs he made a close examination of the nest, which was found 
to be very bulky — in fact "as large as a Crow’s,” and composed chiefly of 
bark with some coarse sticks surrounding the exterior, and a neat, soft 
lining of finer bark and horse-hair. From its general appearance he felt 
convinced that it was constructed by the Hawks themselves. This was 
June 9; returning five days later he found both birds flying about the 
knoll and their actions indicated that they had built another nest some- 
where near, but it could pot b,e found. As he was then on the point of 
leaving the island he shot the male, a fine adult specimen which accom- 
panies the eggs. 
The latter, now before me, are almost perfectly elliptical in shape, and 
measure respectively 1.57 X 1.27, 1.55 X 1.23, 1.59 X 1.24, and 1.56 X 1.25. 
The ground-color, in three of them, is apparently pinkish-buff, but this is 
almost wholly overlaid by numerous, nearly confluent blotches of dilute 
chocolate and purplish-brown which, with a few black spots and dashes, 
are uniformly spread over the entire surface of the shell. The fourth 
specimen has some immaculate spaces of creamy-buff about the smaller 
end, although the markings elsewhere are even denser than in the other 
three. The general coloring of these eggs is extremely rich and hand- 
some and, excepting in size, they bear a close resemblance to the noto- 
riously beautiful egg of the Duck Hawk. — William Brewster, Cam- 
bridge, Mass. Ball. N, O.O. 7 . Oct, 1882 , p « % $~6~- £ t>~b 
733. Pigeonj Hawks. By Charles D. Gibson. Ibid., p. So. Affirmin 
the correctness of his previous note (see above, No. 745 )’ on the breedin 
of this spe/ies in Delaware, where, he adds, “the Pigeon Hawk is 
resident.’ O. & o-voi.vtn t __ 
1997. Was it Instinct ? By ‘ Aisalon columbarins . ’ Ibid., p. 108. — 
Corvus americanus hunting for food. 1300 Sl©t Ol< 1 , A* • '• 
745. Pigeon Hawk. Sparrow Hawk. [f>y Charles D. Gibson. Ibid., 
p. 72. — Both (!) species found breeding at Brandywine Springs, Del. O'. & O* 
be bo 
