EASTERN RED-TAILED HAWK 159 



motionless as if suspended on a wire; it remained in one spot for 

 tliree or four minutes and then sailed over to another spot a few rods 

 away, where it hung for a similar period. Its spectacular "nose 

 dives", referred to above, are thrilling and well illustrate its mastery 

 of the air. Dr. B. H. Warren (1890) describes some interesting 

 maneuvers as follows : 



Red-tailed Hawks in tlioir fall migrations are gregarious. One clear, cold 

 autumn afternoon in 1876, I saw, near West Chester, a flock of these hawks. 

 The sky was destitute of clouds, except a cumulus stratum directly beneath, 

 and apparently about half way between the hawks and the earth. In the 

 center of this vapor was an opening of sufllcient size to enable me to watch 

 the gyrations of the birds ; two of thera suddenly separated from the main body, 

 approached each other screaming, and apparently in great rage. They de- 

 .scended screaming, and, to all appearances, clinched, to within about one hun- 

 dred yards of the earth, when they parted. Evidently neither bird had received 

 much injury, as thoy both, after taking short flights across the meadow, 

 ascended in company with two or three of their companions that had accom- 

 panied them part way down, to the main body. Another individual closed 

 his wings until tlie body presented a triangular outline, descended with almost 

 lightning-like rapidity to the top of a sycamore, where it alighted, and re- 

 mained for some seconds pluming itself. This party of hawks, after perform- 

 ing for nearly twenty minutes, these, and numerous other aerial antics, con- 

 tinued their southern flight. 



Illustrating its marvelous powers of vision, he says : "A clear 

 morning early in March, I saw a Ked-tail circling over the meadows ; 

 every circle took him higher and higher in the air, until at an altitude 

 where he appeared no larger than a blackbird, he stopped, and with 

 nearly closed wings, descended like an arrow to a tree near b}^ me; 

 from this perch, almost the same instant he had alighted, he flew to 

 the ground and snatched from its grassy covert a mouse. The mo- 

 mentiun with which this bird passed through the atmosphere pro- 

 duced a sound not very unlike that of the rush of distant water." 



This hawk is generally regarded as a sluggish, inactive bird, for 

 it spends much of its time standing erect on some lofty perch, slowly 

 scanning its surroundings. It is one of the shiest of our hawks; a 

 man on foot can seldom approach one to within 100 yards, and often 

 it will fly at twice that distance. But it seems to be less afraid of a 

 man on a horse or in a vehicle; in regions where hawks are not much 

 persecuted one can sometimes ride up within gimshot range. 



A wounded redtail is a formidable object, as it throws itself on 

 its back and present^ its sharp and powerful talons; it will grab a gun 

 barrel or stick and allow itself to be lifted up; or it will fasten its 

 claws in the hand or arm of one who tries to handle it and can only 

 with great difficulty be made to let go. Once, while I was hunting 

 with John B. Semple in Florida, a wounded redtail dropped a long 

 way ojff among some patches of saw palmetto ; after a long search in 

 vain we sent his springer spaniel to hunt for it; the plan worked 



