58 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND. 



Jfalconiiirr, ox 3J;tti)ks. 



l"he Hawks are never abundant, but a fair 

 number visit us every season, sailing in their 

 majestic and buoyant flight over the shadowed 

 summer fields, or dashing in cruel foray into the 

 trembling flocks of lesser birds. When lengthen- 

 ing April days bring us soft blue skies bowing 

 over the scarcely broken fields of snow, two or 

 three individuals of Cooper's Hawk will often be 

 seen in company wheeling leisurely round in the 

 sunny upper air. They may be distinguished b)- 

 their medium size and the light color of their 

 under parts. Soon afterwards the graceful little 

 Sparrow Hawk ( Falco sparverius) comes in pairs 

 sweeping through the open groves and wild lands. 

 This little Hawk nests in the hollow of a tree. 

 The Harrier is a blue - colored Hawk that scours 

 our fields wmter and summer. It flies low, hav- 

 ing a wavering, uncertain gait as it pursues in- 

 ferior game on the ground. The Goshawk ( Astur 

 ati'icapilliis ) is a large, dark - colored hawk that 

 stays with us winter and summer. Its home is 

 in the dark recesses of the forest and it is the 

 terror of the winter woods. Often do we see 



