372 LAND-BIRDS. 



does so as if attracted by an irresistible magnet, his movements 

 being instantly simultaneous with those of his quarry. He 

 generally carries off his food, and eats it in a tree. But his 

 prowess in comj^arison with his size is astonishing, and he 

 often pounces upon birds much larger or heavier than himself. 

 I have seen him fall upon Pigeon Woodjjeckers, and upon 

 plump Quail. In such cases, he feeds upon the ground, but 

 it is useless to rescue his victims, as they are almost invariably 

 found to be dead or past all recovery. These Hawks are said 

 by Audubon to act often in concert, but they usually hunt 

 singly. I have seen the Goldfinches escape from them by 

 mounting above them, even until almost lost to sight ; but 

 most birds, terrified by the fury of the onslaught, instinctively 

 dive into thickets or trees, which unfortunately afford them but 

 little protection. Whatever feelings of anger and indefinite 

 longings for revenge may be excited by the Sharp-shinned 

 Hawks, one cannot but admire their intrepidity and spirit. 

 Though they feed partly upon insects, yet they must be consid- 

 ered eminently destructive, and be ranked among the auda- 

 cious marauders who unhesitatingly plunder the farm. It is 

 common to find traces of their murders in carefully picked 

 bones or scattered feathers, along the wood-paths where they 

 have secured some prize. 



d. Their notes are loud and shrill, but are not often heard 

 except in spring. 



B. COOPERII. Cooper s Hawh. " Chicken Hawh^ In 

 New England, a summer resident.* 



a. About eighteen inches long. Tail slightly rounded. 

 " Neck often marked with rufous." f Otherwise like the 

 Sharp-shinned Hawk (^). 



* Throughout most of southern New t These supposed differences are not 



Eng-land this species is — with the pos- constant. When in fully mature plu- 



sible exception of Buteo lineatus — our mage, however, Cooper's Hawk has the 



commonest breeding Hawk. It also crown decidedly darker than the back, 



occurs in winter, but less often than whereas in the Sharp-shinned Hawk 



A. velox. To the northward of Massa- the crown and back are nearly or quite 



chusetts it is, in most j^laces, a rather uniform in color. — W. B. 

 rare summer resident. — W. B. 



