60 The Irish Naturalist. 



AMERICAN BIRD-VISITORS TO IRELAND. 



BY W. E. PRAEGER, KEOKUK, IOWA. 



VI. — The American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus). 



This American bird has twice occurred in Ireland. One was 

 shot in February, 1870, in the Galtee Mountains, Tipperary, 

 and in the same year another was obtained in King's County. 

 In the previous year it had been noted in Forfarshire, this 

 being its only occurrence on the Sister Island. 



The Goshawk is a winter visitor to the United States, and 

 but few instances are recorded of its breeding south of the 

 British possessions, though it does so regularly in some 

 localities. Near Keokuk it is a rare winter visitant, and I have 

 seen only about five birds of this species obtained near here in 

 my ten years' observation. Early in February, 1888, one was shot 

 by a farmer while it was devouring a chicken it had just killed. 

 It was a very large and handsome female bird, and the most 

 beautiful hawk I ever saw. The following winter two more 

 were killed, which I saw after they had been mounted. A 

 year later, I find my last note on this bird. On the 19th 

 December, 1889, a friend of mine was out after Wild Turkeys, 

 in some rough wooded land, a few miles north of this city. 

 As he was standing on the edge of a small clearing he heard 

 the crows making a great noise behind him, as though they 

 were at their favourite amusement of mobbing an owl ; a 

 moment later, two hawks dashed out of the timber and over 

 his head, and he brought them down handsomely with a right 

 and left. The birds proved to be a splendid pair of Goshawks, 

 and I even now break the tenth commandment almost daily 

 as I pass the store window where they are displayed. 



The Goshawk is perhaps the most rapacious of birds of prey, 

 and were it more common in the settled parts of the country, 

 the farmer would have a heavy score against it. But, save the 

 wandering trapper, few white men know the Goshawk in his 

 summer home, and neither Indians nor Eskimo are noted as 

 poultry-fanciers. But if a Goshawk appears near a farmhouse 

 trouble is sure to follow. For ferocious daring it has no equal 

 among birds. Several cases are recorded of this bird's pur- 

 suing fowls even into dwelling-houses, where they sought in 



