EASTERN GOSHAWK 137 



plaintive tone to it. I only heard this call twice during the whole time I was 

 in the vicinity of the nest, and both times it was given under the same or 

 similar conditions; viz, the female would come in with food and alight some 

 75 or 100 yards distant and then begin this call at more or less regular inter- 

 vals. After perhaps 8 or 10 cato^, there would be a pause of a few moments ; 

 then it would be repeated, it seemed as though she were suspicious that all 

 was not well about her nest and this was a call to the mate (he was on hand 

 and in close proximity on one occasion) or to the young that she was nearby 

 with food. The other call that I heard for the first time was also last spring 

 and during my observations about this nest. It was a peculiar cluck, cluck, 

 cluck, uttered with deliberation. 



Field marks. — The adult goshawk may be recognized as a large 

 gray hawk, with broad, rounded wings and long, nearly square tail. 

 The breast appears, at a distance, to be plain, pale gray. If near 

 enough, the black cap and white stripe over the eye may be seen. 

 The young bird cannot be distinguished from a young Cooper's hawk, 

 except by size. Its flight is like that of a Cooper's hawk. 



Winter. — ^Winter is the time when we look for the goshawks to 

 swoop down upon us. The great winter invasions are supposed to be 

 due to periodic failures in their food supply in tlie north woods, 

 but probably there is some southward migration every year. Well- 

 marked, heavy flights have been recorded in 1863, 1889, 1895, 1896, 

 1896-7, 1898-9, 1905, 1906-7, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1926-7, and 1927-8; of 

 these the greatest invasions w^ere in the fall and winter of 1896-7, 

 1906-7, 192(>-7, 1927-8. Usually the goshawks begin to arrive in 

 October, but in 1926 goshawks were taken in Pennsylvania on Septem- 

 ber 6, 9, 10, and 18; Dr. Sutton (1927) gives a full account of this 

 flight. The great flight of 1906-7 is described in considerable detail 

 by Ruthven Deane (1907). Some of these flights consisted almost 

 entirely of adult birds. A great invasion of goshaAvks is quite likely 

 to be follow^ed by a marked scarcity of ruffed grouse; as large num- 

 bers of snowy owls are likely to be driven south by the same cause, 

 our smaller wild creatures have a hard struggle for existence. Dr. 

 E. W. Nelson (1887) says that many goshawks remain all winter 

 as far north as northern Alaska, frequenting the patches of alders 

 and preying on ptarmigan. 



In 1934 the invasion began in Pennsylvania on October 10, and 

 Maurice Broun (1935) says: "A pronounced movement ensued, with 

 24 observed on the 11th, 23 on the 12th, 19 on the 13th, 6 on the 14th, 

 and 4 on the 15th. In the same period 330 Sharp-shins and 99 

 Cooper's Hawks were observed. This migration was attended by 

 rain and snow and rapidl}^ falling temperatures in northern New 

 England." 



Attempts to reduce the numbers of goshawks in Pennsylvania by 

 the payment of bounties have not produced very satisfactory results. 

 A law was passed in 1929 ofl'ering a bounty of $5 for each goshawk 



83561—37 10 



