chickens Ijcforc the owner realized the cause of his loss. Mr. ( )ra W. Knight 

 writes that a pair of these birds took ten or twelve chickens daily from a farm- 

 yard for some time bfore they were shot. 1-ike others of its genus, the Sharp-shin 

 moves ordinarily at a moderate height, alternately sailing and flapping, and 

 alwavs on the lookout for game. As it crosses a river and sails over the meadow, 

 an otificious Blackbird rises from its nest in a tussock of reeds, and advances 

 to the attack. The nnhapi)y bird soon realizes its mistake, and, turning, makes for 

 the shelter of the wood, but the Hawk rows the air rapidly with its wings, gaining 

 on the poor Blackbird each second. It follows its ([uarry through wood and 

 thicket, matching every twist and turn ; swift, inexoralile and relentless as fate. It 

 can overtake and slay a Bob-White in full flight. It sweeps quietly along a wood 

 path and rises to a dead branch, where it stands almost motionless, scanning all 

 the ground and every tree and thicket, but the little Warblers of the wood have 

 been warned of its a])proach and, crouching in terror, they will not leave their 

 hiding-places. Impatiently the Hawk leajis forward on the air and soars off to 

 take some heedless songster unaw^ares. The individual Sharp-shins that spend 

 the winter in the North are the hardiest of their species, and their boldness at this 

 season is unsur])assed. More than once this Hawk has dashed into or through a 

 window in winter to strike down a caged Canary. On a cold and <nowy day in 

 January one bore down a lUuejay within a few feet of my dog. Doctor Hatch 

 records that while he was riding across the prairies of Alinnesota in winter during 

 a furious wind, with the mercury 46 degrees below zero, one of these Hawks 

 passed with inconceivable velocity, close to the ground and seized and bore off a 

 Snow Bunting directly in his path. Sometimes, in such instances, the victim ap- 

 pears to be paralyzed with fright. ( )ne winter, one of these Hawks swept into 

 our yard, darted into a flock of Juncoes feeding there and seized one that remained 

 crouched on the ground and seemed unable to move until the Hawk struck, while 

 its companions made their escape to the thicket. 



Some w'riters have given the im]iression that it is impossible for any bird 

 to avoid the sudden and swift attack of this Hawk. Nevertheless it sometimes 

 misses, and loses its prey. A Phcebe, sitting on a low branch near the barn cellar, 

 which contained its nest, dove from the limb, escaped the Hawk's talons, turned 

 the corner of the barn and entered the cellar so quickly that the confused Hawk 

 flew away disappointed. A flock of Least Sandpipers or "Peeps" scattered so 

 deftly on the onslaught of this Hawk that all escapefl unharmed ; but perhaps such 

 a happy consummation is the exception, and not the rule. 



Evidently the Sharp-shinned Hawk delights in the chase, and prefers birds 

 to any other food. Dr. A. K. Fisher, of the Biological Survey, reports as follows 

 on the contents of one hundred and seven stomachs of this Hawk that contained 

 food. Six had poultry or game birds, ninety-nine contained other birds, eight 

 contained mice, and five had eaten insects. Dr. B. H. Warren examined nineteen 

 stomachs of this bird, seventeen of which were found to contain remains of 

 poultry or game birds. 



This Hawk undoubtedly gets nearly if not all the smaller useful species 



554 



