do4 
Poultry gave him a wide berth, and he was an excellent protection to our 
garden from the scratching propensities of the biddies. Occasionally he 
would become mischievous, or rather too familiar, for he would sweep from 
the top of a fruit tree, and alight on the back or shoulder of some one of 
the family, uttering his terrible scream; without intending it, his claws 
hurt so that he was rather a rough playfellow. Unfortunately he was 
killed by a boy, who struck him over the head with a hoe. During the 
time he was with us, he never attempted to leave, although birds of his 
own species would circle high in the air above him, and he would answer 
scream for scream. 
The Red-Tailed Hawk is commonly called the Hen-hawk, in conse- 
quence of its fondness for poultry, and the farmers make war upon it in 
retaliation. They are strong, fierce birds, and prey on everything wild or 
tame that they can master. After discovering a small animal, they alight 
on the top of some neighboring tree, and then descend with a rapid sweep. 
They seldom miss their aim. The male and female join in hunting the 
squirrel, and take opposite sides of the tree, thereby depriving the little 
animal of the benefit of running round the trunk. 
In the adult male the bill is blackish, cere greenish yellow; feet yellow; 
claws blackish; upper part of the head lightish brown, shaded with grey; 
a band of dark brown from the angle of the mouth backward; back brown, 
with lighter shadings; upper part of the neck yellowish-red, with spots of 
brown; tail coverts whitish, with bars of brown; tail bright yellowish-red, 
with a narrow bar of black near the tip. On the tail of a specimen in the 
Museum of the Cleveland Academy, there are remains of numerous black 
bars, which coincide with the bars on the tail of the young. On looking 
closely, these can be distinctly traced. The abdomen and chin are white; 
the long feathers of the leg yellowish, with small brown spots. The length 
is about twenty-two inches; extent of wings forty-seven. The female is 
larger, and wants the black bar at the end of the tail. 
Specimens of both sexes in the Cleveland Academy Museum. 
II. Burro PENNsYLyANiIcus— Wilson—Tue BroAp-WINGED HAwK. 
Wilson’s Am. Orn., VI, pl. 54, fig. 1; Audubon’s B. of Am., oct. ed., 
L,.pl 10; DeKay's Nat. Hist, N.Y. Or., pl. 5,.fie, di. 
Very little seems to be known regarding the habits of this Hawk, 
although it is of common occurrence in this and neighboring States. All 
writers agree in describing it as of a mild character, more so than any other 
