82 Birds of Pennsylvania. 



I saw one abandoning its course tt^pFe chase to a large liock of Crow 

 Blackbirds, then crossing the river. The hawk approached them with 

 the swiftness of an arrow, when the blackbirds rushed together so 

 closely that the ilock looked like a dusky ball passing through the 

 air. On reaching the mass, he, with the greatest ease, seized first one, 

 then another and another, giving each a squeeze with his talons, and 

 suffering it to drop upon the water. In this manner he had procured 

 four or five before the poor birds reached the woods, into which they 

 instantly jjlunged, when he gave up the chase, swept over the water 

 in graceful curves, and picked the fruits of his industry, carrying each 

 bird singly to the shore. Reader, is this instinct or reason? 



" The nest of the Goshawk is placed on the branches of a tree, near 

 the trunk or main stem. It is of great size, and resembles that of our 

 crow, or some species of owl ; being constructed of withered twigs and 

 coarse grass, with a lining of fibrous strips of plants resembling hemp. 

 It is, however, much flatter than that of the crow." 



The fierce nature of this species is well shown in the concluding 

 paragraphs from the pen of my highly esteemed friend, L. M. Turner^- : 

 " The tracts preferred by this Goshawk are the narrow valleys, borders 

 of streams, and the open tundra, which it constantly scans for Ptar- 

 migan and small mammals; the Lemming forming a considerable por- 

 tion of its food. It will sit for hours in some secluded spot, awaiting 

 a Ptarmigan to raise its wings. No sooner does its prey rise a few 

 feet from the earth than with a few rapid strokes of the wing, and a 

 short sail, the Goshawk is brought within seizing distance ; it pounces 

 upon the bird, grasping it with both feet under the wings, and atter 

 giving it a few blows on the head they both fall to the ground ; often 

 tumbling several feet before they stop, the hawk not relinquishing its 

 hold during the time. During the mating season of the Ptarmigans 

 many males suffer death while striving to gain the affection of the fe- 

 male, for as he launches high in air, rattling his hoarse note of defi- 

 ance to any other male of its kind in the vicinity, the Goshawk darts 

 from a patch of alders or willows, or from the edge of the neighbor- 

 ing bluff, and with a dash they come to the ground, often within a few 

 yards of the terror-stricken female, who now seeks safety in flight as 

 distant as her wings will carry her. I have seen this hawk sail with- 

 out a quiver of its pinions, until within seizing distance of its quarry^ 

 and suddenly throw its wings back, when with a clash they came to- 

 gether, and the vicinity was ^lled with white feathers, floating peace- 

 fully through the air. I secured both birds, and found the entire side 

 of the Ptarmigan ripped open. 



" On another occasion I shot a fine individual as it rose from a small 



♦Contributions to the Natural History of Alaska, results of investigations made chiefly in the 

 Yukon district and the Aleutian islands: conducted under the auspices of the U. S. Signal Ser- 

 vice, extending from May, 1874, to August, 1881, by L. M. Turner. 



