Wayne: Birds op South Carolina. 73 



birds, and is well known to destroy innumerable young chickens, 

 showing the utmost fearlessness in their pursuit. At all times 

 this little hawk seems to have a predilection for the outskirts 

 of woods and hedges. The local name of this species is "Little 

 Blue Darter." 



In winter, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is found as far south as 

 Panama. The breeding range is chiefly in the northern states, 

 but it breeds sparingly in North Carolina. 



137. Accipiter cooperii (Bonap.). Cooper's Hawk. 



Although Cooper's Hawk breeds some distance from the imme- 

 diate vicinity of the coast, it is more abundant in autumn, winter, 

 and early spring than in summer. The few pairs that breed 

 resort to heavily-timbered swamps, and the eggs, which are gen- 

 erally deposited in deserted nests of crows or squirrels, are laid 

 during the middle of April. The eggs are generally three in num- 

 ber, bluish white, sometimes spotted with pale brown, and meas- 

 ure 1.90X1.50. 



On account of its large size this species is very destructive to 

 poultry as well as to game birds, and a bounty should be put on 

 the head of each individual shot. 



The flight of this hawk is extremely rapid, and like the former 

 species it prefers the outskirts of woods and hedges rather than 

 the interior of forests. This species varies so greatly in size that 

 large immature females have been mistaken for the American 

 Goshawk (Astur atricapillus) in its immature plumage. The 

 Goshawk has been recorded by Dr. Robert Wilson ^ as having 

 been seen by him on November 3, 1905, near Bull's Bay. As 

 Dr. Wilson did not secure the bird in order to place the iden- 

 tification beyond question, his record "will of necessity cause 

 all careful compilers to reject it," as the Goshawk is a rare bird 

 in winter even as far south as the Middle States. 



138. Buteo borealis (Gmel.). Red-tailed Hawk. 



The Red-tailed Hawk is very abundant in early autumn, win- 

 ter, and early spring, but I have never detected it in the breeding 

 season anywhere near the coast and it is, therefore, a winter vis- 

 itant. During the winter months one or two pairs of these birds 

 inhabit restricted portions of the coast islands for their hunting 



» Bull. Chas.Mus. I, 1905. 33. 



