60 
[Vol. 6-No 8. 
ORNITHOLOGIST 
O RNITIIOLOGIST 
—AND— 
OOLOGIST 
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 
JOS. .V. IVAtiE, Eflltor, 
S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 
With the CO operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 
Subscription— $1.00 per annum. Foreign sub 
scrtption including postage. Speci¬ 
men Copies Ten Cents. 
JOS. .n. IVAOE, 
Norwich, Conn. 
Entered at Nonoich V, O. as Second Class matter. 
KIJITORIAL. 
John Krider’s Work. 
As our readers are well aware we have 
been offering for sale a work by John Kri- 
der entitled, “ Forty Years’ Notes of a Field 
Ornithologist, &c.” Many copies of this 
work have gone into the hands of some of 
our best ornithologists, some of whom re 
port that it contains many errors, but of this 
more hereafter. Our present object is to 
make one or two interesting quotations from 
the work. 
“Duck Hawk. —It is well-known to all 
the duck-shooters along the Hats of the Sus¬ 
quehanna River, as well also to those who 
freciuent the sea-shore, where this bird is 
certain to be found during the ducking sea¬ 
son. I have found it also on several occa 
sions on the Delaware River, when I was 
rail shooting. 1 shot one specimen below 
the navy yard, also another on Jersey shore, 
both of which had been feeding on some 
farmer’s chickens I have often notiiied 
the mancEuvres of this voracious hero of 
the falcon tribe when in pursuit of ducks. 
On one occasion 1 was seated in a blind 
with my decoys in a pond in front of me, 
waiting for the approach of ducks, when at 
a distance I saw a small lot of ducks mak¬ 
ing for the pond. As they aiiproached I 
discovered that they were pursued by a 
Hawk, and as soon as they arrived at the 
edge of the pond they immediately dove 
under the water. The Hawk, somewhat 
disajjpointed, continued on his course tow¬ 
ard my decoys, making a quick dart and 
catching one in his talons, but finding it 
much heavier than he supposed soon 
dropped it, and w-as in a hurry to get off 
when the leaden messengers from my gun 
brought him down. This specimen is now 
in the Academy of Natural Science, of Phil¬ 
adelphia. I have freijuently found this bird 
along the sea-shore in spring, but never 
found it breeding in that neighborhood 
which has been so reported. I do not con¬ 
sider it rare, but difficult to obtain. They 
vary much in size—the male is much small¬ 
er than the female, and the plumage of the 
adult bird different from that of the young. 
I have met this bird as far east as Maine, 
and as far west as Minnesota, along the 
Mississippi River, and have not been able 
myself to find its nest, but have the eggs in 
my collection which were found in the State 
of Maine. I also have the birds which 
were shot along the Delaw'are River below 
Philadelphia. 
“ Bald Eagle. —The Bald Flagle is very 
plenty along the coast of Virginia, Dela¬ 
ware and New' Jersey. It feeds on Ducks 
and fish. I have seen this bird sit on the 
meadows and watch the Fish-hawk catch 
a fish, when he would pursue the Hawk and 
make him drop his food, and before the 
fish could reach the water the Fiagle would 
catch it and make for some secluded spot 
to feed iqion it. I have also seen them 
chase crippled Ducks and make a meal of 
them: they freipient mostly the ducking 
grounds 1 ha\e seen them very jdenty 
in the western states, and on the lakes 
where the Ducks breed I have found 
them b ceding in New Jersey, near Bees- 
ley’s Point, also on the eastern shores of 
Maryland, and in Iowa and Minnesota, but 
have never found more than two eggs in a 
nest. The young in the fall plumage is 
without the white head and tail, and some¬ 
times is very dark, almost black, varying 
very much in size. I had one from Bees- 
ley’s Point that measured eight feet six 
inches from tip to tip; then I have had 
them that only measured five feet six inch¬ 
es. I have seen them in company with the 
Turkey Buzzard feeding on the carcasses 
of dead horses and other dead animals. 
They build their nests on high trees and 
cliffs — eggs four in number.” 
In this last article Mr. Krider states 
that he has “never found more than two 
eggs in a nest,” and yet he concludes his ar¬ 
ticle by saying: “ They build their nests on 
high trees and cliffs — eggs four in number." 
