ACCIPITER COOPEKII — COOPER'S HAWK. 231 



world. Three inhabit the United States, one of which — A. 

 Mexicana — is limited to the Pacific coast and Mexico. 



1. AcciPiTER CooPERii, Bonciparte. — Cooper's Hawk. 

 Audubon's Birds of America, Oct. ed., I., pi. 24. 



This hawk is much more injurious to the farmer than we 

 might be led to believe from its comparatively small size 

 and slender form, but its great courage and rapidity of 

 flight enables it to combat and destroy much larger birds 

 than itself. Audubon relates an instance in which a young 

 male attacked a cock and succeeded in killing him, although 

 the fowl was prepared for the combat. The marauder paid 

 the penalty of his foray with his life, Mr. Audubon having 

 shot him in the act of rising in the air after the battle. 



Cooper's Hawk destroys great quantities of game, and 

 often visits the farm yard (or llu- puipose of preying on 

 everything it can conquer. Il builds its nest in the forked 

 branch of some tall liee, oiteii ww oak. The eggs are three 

 or four in number, nearly round, of a dull white, and very 

 rough. 



It is rather difficult to distinguish the species sometimes, 

 as the variations of the plumage are considerable, and the 

 markings vary. Its form is slender, with short wan gs and 

 rounded tail. In the adult the upper part of the head is 

 brownish black, with a few marks of white. Upper parts 

 of the body dark ashy brown, with an obscure reddish 

 collar on the back of the neck. Tail dark slate color, with 

 four broad bands of black and tipped with white; under 

 tail coverts white. Throat white with lines of dark brown- 

 The breast and abdomen barred with light reddish and 

 white. 



The female measures from 18 to 20 inches in length; the 

 male 16 to 17. 



Specimens in the Cleveland Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ence's Museum. 



