THE AMERICAN GOSH AWK. ies 
undergrowth, arresting its flight instantly, and darting off, perhaps at a right 
angle the next second to capture its intended victim.” 
In the woods the Cooper Hawk resents intrusion and advertises your 
presence by an irritated kek, kek, kek, kek, delivered from some safe 
distance. ‘This sound is also indicative of the vicinity of a nest, present or 
intended. In this state the birds almost invariably select a beech tree for 
a nesting site, and place a large and orderly platform of sticks and twigs 
at a point where the major limbs diverge, or else where some horizontal 
support is offered. Old Crow’s nests and even deserted sites of Buteos 
are occasionally used, but generally the bird does for itself, either repairing 
the old nest year by year, or else building a new one in the immediate neigh- 
borhood. 
The Cooper Hawk is rather a late nester for a Hawk, but fresh eggs 
may be found the first week in May. The female performs most of the duties 
of incubation, which lasts about twenty-four days, but the male supplies her 
with food. Both birds are unusually courageous in defense of their nest, and 
an unguarded climber may receive injury at their hands. 
Young Cooper Hawks are said to make very docile and interesting pets. 
Dr. Jones tells of one which he raised from the nest and which, altho allowed 
perfect freedom, “was very fond of buggy riding, and would sit on the dash- 
board for hours, manifesting the greatest interest in the objects passed.” 
No. 179. 
AMERICAN GOSHAWK. 
A. O. U. No. 334. Accipiter atricapillus (Wils.). 
Synonym.—Biur Hen Hawk. 
Description.—aAdult: Above slate-gray with darker shaft-lines; darker, 
almost black on head; white lines over and behind eye loosely connected by ill- 
concealed basal white of cervical feathers ; auriculars blackish; tail with four 
dusky bands, plain, or almost obsolete ; inner webs of wing-quills mottled ,—dusky 
and whitish; entire under parts white, finely and heavily marbled with slaty 
gray, in fine wavy or zigzag lines, falling into fine bars on flanks and tibiz, 
with blackish shaft-lines on throat and breast : iris light yellow; bill dark blue; 
feet yellow, claws black. Jimmature: Following the usual Accipiter fashion; 
above dark brown, spotted with buff and whitish. and margined with rusty ; tail 
with narrow white tip and four distinct dusky bands - below whitish or buffy, 
striped narrowly with dark brown,—the markings euttate on belly, broader on 
sides and flanks. Adult male length about 22.00 (558.8); wing 12.00- 13.50 
(304.8-342.9) ; tail 9.50-10.50 (241.3- 266.7) ; bill from nostril .75 (19.1). Adult 
female length about 24.00 (609.6); wing 13.25-14.25 (336.6-632.); tail t1.00- 
12.50 (279.4-217.5). 
