NAUCLERUS FURCATUS — SWALLOW TAILED HAWK. 



LeQgth 11 to 12 inches, including tail, which is from 5 to 5^ 

 inches. 



Specimens in the Museum of the Cleveland Academy of 

 Natural Science. 



IX. Genus Nauclerus, Vigors. 



Bill short, weak; wing:s long and pointed; tail lon<; and 

 forked. Tarsi and toes short. Believed to contain but 

 three species, one of them African, the other two Amer 

 icau. 



Nauclerus Furcatus, Linn. — Swallow Tailed Hawk. 



Wilson's Amer. Orn., VI., pi. 51, fig. 3; Audubon's B. of 

 Am., Oct. ed., I., pi. 18. 



This beautiful bird was once pretty plentiful in Ohio and 

 often seen in Summit and Portage counties, but recently 

 it has become scarce in the northern part of the State. 

 The prairies in Crawford county were formerly a favorite 

 place of resort, and occasionally a specimen may be found 

 there still. Further South it becomes more plentiful, and 

 may sometimes be seen in small flocks during the spring. 



The flight of this Hawk is peculiarly graceful. It glides 

 through the air in a manner quite diflerent from other 

 hawks. Its food consists of grasshoppers, cicada, (seven- 

 teen year locusts,) beetles and other insects; also small 

 lizards and insects, and is thus more beneficial than other- 

 wise to the farmer. Their prey is always devoured upon 

 the wing, the bird never alighting for that purpose. The 

 Swallow Tailed Hawk often flies very high in pursuit of 

 insects. 



