THE COOPER HAWK. 499 



base of the tree will flush the sitting Ijird, and it will not often leave until the 

 nest is almost reached. When disturbed both birds make a high-si)irited de- 

 fense: and the female, who is, of course, the larger, will dart at the climber 

 so boldl}- as occasionally to brush him with her wings. A wrathful v//', \ip, 

 yip, yip, yip, is likely to accompany this attack: and the note serves again to 

 remind one of the bird's atifinit\' tn the Cooper Hawk. 



No. 202. 



COOPER'S HAWK. 



A. O. U. No. 333. Accipiter cooperii (Bonap.). 



Synonym. — ChickEX H.\wk. 



Description. — Adult: Similar to preceding species, but decidedlv larger; the 

 top of head deeper slate, or blackish : the tail sHghtlv or considerablv rounded ; 

 sides of breast often tinged with bluish gray. Iiiiimitiirc: Similar to preceding 

 species ; streaking of underparts less abundant, more sharj^Iv defined, and of 

 darker shades ; belly and sometimes throat immaculate, or tending to become so. 

 Differences between aduh and young rather more clearly marked than in A. velox. 

 Very variable in size. Adult male length 14.00-17.00 ( 355-5-43 1.8) ; wing 8.50- 

 9.50 (215.9-241.3 I : tail 7.00-8.50 ( 177.8-215.9) : bill from cere .60-.65 (15.2- 

 16.5). .Adult female length 18.00-20.00 (457.2-508); wing 9.75-1 i.oo (247.6- 

 279.4); tail 8.50-10.00 (215.9-254); bill from cere .70-.80 (17.8-20.3). 



Recognition Marks. — Crow size ; adult heavilv barred below with cinnamon- 

 rufous; young heavily striped on breast and sides with dark brown or dusky; 

 top of head blackish, tail long, rounded, .\lmost always distinguishable from A. 

 velox by greater size. 



Nesting. — Nest: of sticks and green leaves, high in trees. Sometimes a 

 deserted Crow's nest is used. Eggs: 3-6, pale bluish white, sometimes spotted 

 with light brown; subspherical. .Av. size, 1.92x1.52 (48.8x38.6). Season: c. 

 j\Iay 20 ; one brood. 



General Range. — North America from southern British .America south to 

 southern Mexico. Breeds thruout its range. 



Range in Washington. — Rare summer resident and migrant; doubtfully 

 recorded from east of the Cascades. 



Authorities. — Astur cooperi, Newberry, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv. \'I., pt. H., 

 1857. p. 74. T. C&S. Rh. Ss'( ?). Kk. B. E. 



Specimens. — U. of W. Prov. 



IT IS hard for those of us, daffy bird-cranks, who go into a trance at the 

 sight of a feather, to pass sentence of death upon any bird : but since we have 

 so often said, "Let be! let be!" when the hand of the gunner was raised against 

 the Hawk (often for no better reason than that it was a Hawk and might steal 



