^"l89o'."] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 531 



One of these yonug liawks was accidentally killed by a wagon, but 

 tlie other throve in my hands and soon became lecouciled to confine- 

 ment in a barn, where in process of time he was joined by another of 

 his own kind, a Peregrine Falcon, two Horned Owls and a Crane. Very 

 soon the hawk evidently noticed a connection between my visits and 

 his meals, and in a few days he learnt to greet me with an oft-repeated 

 scieam, much like that of the adults. His tameness increased until he 

 would run screaming to be fed whenever he saw me. In a week or so 

 more he could fly tolerably well, and was readily taught to come scream- 

 ing and sailing about my head in response to the call, "Come, Dick." 

 Then, after a performance of voice and wing long enough to give suffi- 

 cient eclat to the forthcoming grand finale he would swoo[) past with 

 the rapidity of at least a barnjard hen, and bear away my cap unless I 

 held up in my hand a bird or gopher, which he never failed to truss. 

 One foot only was used for small birds, usually his left, but if both 

 gripped it was not at the same place, one foot being held far in advance 

 of the other. 



It is hard to say to wliat extent this bird might have been tamed, 

 for during my absence for a week or so he reverted entirely to his orig- 

 inal habits, and was thenceforth but little better than the wild kins- 

 man that shared the building with him. The history of this latter bird 

 is worth relating, I was looking out of the window when I chanced to 

 see a hawk alight on a fence some IGO yards away; it was very con- 

 spicuous, having a white head. This aroused my curiosity to know 

 what strange species it was. I took my rifle and by a wonderfully 

 lucky shot, which I could not repeat for a kingdom, temporarily stunned 

 the bird, the ball barely grazing its crown. It proved to be an old one, 

 and its head was white chiefly behind and more or less streaked with 

 brown. When it revived it was placed in the barn and seemed well 

 enough, but refused all food, and for twelve days, so far as I know, it 

 ate nothing. By this time it was reduced to a mere skeleton, but on 

 the thirteenth day an idea seemed to dawn on it, and it made a hearty 

 meal off a gopher, and continued well until one day the Horned Owls, 

 its fellow captives, were left with insufficient provender, whereupon they 

 killed the hawk and devoured it to make up the deficiency. On a later 

 occasion poor Dick received a similar sepulture. 



The brood from which Dick was taken, be it observed, was not able 

 to leave the nest until July 24. I have several times found the bird 

 with one or more eggs on May 20; have seen it setting late May and 

 early June; on June 2G I found a nest with four eggs, nearly hatched ; 

 and again on June 28 I found one with young ones out and one egg 

 not hatched. On August 8 I was led by a pair of old ones to the nest, 

 which at that time contained only their youngest chick, then just able 

 to fly a little. On the same day, in a different locality, I shot an old 

 one which was carrying a meadow lark presumably home to feed its 



