° 1919 ] Richards, Early History of Duck Hawk. 349 



THE EARLY HISTORY OF A DUCK HAWK. 



BY VIOLA F. RICHARDS. 



Plates XII-XIII. 



How long since Sugar Loaf Mountain, a State Reservation in 

 the town of Deerfield, Massachusetts, became a nesting place for 

 the Falco peregrinus anatum, or Duck Hawk, no one knows, but 

 records show that it was more than one hundred years ago. Year 

 after year they have laid their eggs, and reared their young in 

 practically inaccessible places among the ledges on the eastern side 

 of the mountain. 



In the spring of 1917, Charles L. Fisher, an enthusiastic bird 

 student who lives at the foot of Sugar Loaf, discovered that the 

 Duck Hawks had chosen for a nesting place, a ledge to which access 

 was surprisingly easy. On the open ledge, with no pretense of a 

 nest, were laid three eggs, cream colored, with an encircling band of 

 chocolate colored spots. Lighter spots covered the large end of 

 each egg, but the small end was clear. These eggs were the size of, 

 and similar in shape to, a Leghorn pullet's egg. At the time of 

 discovery two of these eggs were cracked, ready to hatch. That 

 night two of them disappeared. The remaining egg hatched next 

 day, which was May 5, 1917. 



Instead of being bare and unlovely, like many baby birds, this 

 little bird resembled a bunch of cotton, with two bright, black eyes. 

 Within a few days, a faint, grayish hue took the place of the clear 

 white. May 18 the nestling was photographed for the first time. 

 An excellent idea of the nesting place is gathered from this picture. 



A second photograph, taken May 21, shows the bird at close 

 range. At this time it did not show much fear of intruders. 



May 30, when a photographer visited the ledge, the young bird 

 was still clad in a coat of fluffy down. During this visit the anxious 

 parent birds soared overhead, occasionally coming so near that the 

 whistle made by their wings cutting the air made a chill creep 

 along the spine of the photographer. That their shrill screams 

 were warnings which the young bird understood, was evident, for 

 it crouched as flat as it could on the rock, with head down, and 

 kept as nearly motionless as possible. But its heart beat wildly, 



