Red-shouldered Hawk 217 



the slow merry-go-round at a height that would 

 make any child dizzy. Sometimes they rise out 

 of sight. Kee you, kee you, they scream as they 

 sail. Does the teasing blue jay imitate the call 

 for the fim of frightening little birds? 



But the red-shouldered hawk is not on 

 pleasure bent much of the time. Perching is 

 its specialty, and on an outstretched limb, or 

 other point of vantage, it sits erect and digni- 

 fied, its far-seeing eyes alone in motion trying 

 to sight its quarry — a mouse creeping through 

 the meadow, a mole leaving its tunnel, a chip- 

 munk running along a stone wall, a frog leap- 

 ing into the swamp, a gopher or young rabbit 

 frisking around the edges of the wood — ^when, 

 spying one, "like a thunderbolt it falls." 



If you could ever creep close enough to a 

 red-shouldered hawk, which is not likely, you 

 would see that it is a powerful bird, about a 

 foot and a half long, dark brown above, the 

 feathers edged with rusty, with bright chestnut 

 patches on the shoulders. The wings and dark 

 tail are barred with white, so are the rusty-buif 

 under parts, and the light throat has dark 

 streaks. Female hawks are larger than the 

 males, just as the squaws in some Indian tribes 

 are larger than the braves. It is said that 

 hawks remain mated for life ; so do eagles and 

 owls, for in their family life, at least, the birds of 

 prey are remarkably devoted, gentle and loving. 



