74 
ORNITHOLOGIST 
mating eggs by dry measure, I will add that 
at the right time in iMay, with a good horse 
and two expert climbers, I will agree to get 
a bushel of Crows’ eggs near here in one 
day.) 
From the long appearance of the females’ 
t^il of this species, shown when covering 
their eggs, and when sailing over low patch¬ 
es of vvoods these Hawks are called here 
by the farmers. Long-tailed Hawks and Pri¬ 
vateers. But the most appropriate country 
name is Chicken Hawk. 
Coopers are the most deadly scourge in 
country farmyards. While the Buteos give 
warning of their whereabouts by soaring 
far overhead for hours and sometimes days 
before dropping among the young poultry, 
the dreaded Accii)iters, sailing very low, 
will suddenly start over a wall and be off 
with a chicken without notice. The old 
domestic cocks and Ctiinea fowl will ^ee a 
Buteo when but a speck in the sky, and on 
a too near approach to earth of the com¬ 
mon enemy sound an alarm which sends all 
the timid ones to cover. But even after 
repeated raids of the Cooper, his advance 
is so unheralded, and his dash so quick, that 
he gets off scot free, even though the farm¬ 
er stands in his doorway with gun in hand. 
Many a time has a countryman made his 
moan to me about the Privateer carrying off 
all his chickens, when I knew where said 
“Privateer’s” nest was and was secretly 
hoping to get a nicely marked set of eggs 
therefrom. But as a reward for keeping 
my guilty secret, the only markings my set 
displayed would be the blood stains from 
the (piarry taken from the neighboring 
poultry yard. 
The smallest males are not unlike an old 
female Sharp-shinned, but the old females 
are greatly superior in size and strength to 
uny A./uscus. During the months of Au¬ 
gust and September, the present season, a 
large Cooper’s Hawk haunted a marsh of a 
few acres on (iroton Long Point, known as 
Pear Point Swamp. Just clearing the tops 
of the low trees in his noiseless flight, twice 
a day he would come skimming along over 
[Vol. 6-No. 10. 
tl'iis favorite hunting ground. He was seen 
to pick up vermin, finches of several kinds, 
and a few small leteridae. One afternoon 
he made a bold dash at a muskrat, and 
though there was actual contact it was brief, 
and both rat and Accipiter appeared more 
frightened than hurt .—/. M. iV., Nor¬ 
wich, Conn. 
California Quail 
BREEDING IN THE GARDEN. 
On the twenty-seventh of May, 1880, 1 
placed some brush and rubbish fifteen feet 
from the front steps, in a triangle of the 
driveway. On the third of June I stooped 
down to set fire to the brush and I saw three 
Quail’s eggs. I left them, hoping if it was 
a Quail that had been there she would come 
again. 'I'he following morning I found the 
fourth egg. I then piled more brush on so 
that no one could discover my treasure and 
carry them off. 
I called the attention of Dr. Cooper to 
the location of the nest, as carriages and 
persons were passing nearly every hour of 
the day within four feet of the nest, and he 
thought it should be made a note of. 
Henry Chapnian, ornithologist, and 1 . 
Mailliard, oologist, of Nicasio, called and 
both were confident that when she com¬ 
menced sitting the interruptions she would 
be liable to meet with would frighten hei 
from her nest. 
June 7th, I put my hand in the nest and 
the Quail flew out, but made her morning 
call on the eighth, June 14th, I went to the 
nest and found her sitting on fourteen eggs. 
I had my face within eighteen inches of her 
and could see her eyes, but she did not 
seem disturbed or annoyed. 
In the meantime for the week that had 
passed, 1 had been watching the marital 
devotions of the male Quail. He would 
place himself in a tree in the orchard, three 
hundred yards from the house, give his call- 
note — krick kri — three or four times for his 
mate, and he seemed to know how long it 
would take her to get to the roadway, 
