184 Deaxe, Unusual Abundance of the Goshawk. [\ l 'rii 



fowl, four contained partly digested flesh not identified, and the 

 stomachs of eleven were entirely empty. One specimen, a female, 

 killed at North Kingston, R. I., Nov. 12, 1906, when shot was 

 standing on the body of a Ruffed Grouse which she had just killed. 



Several instances have been reported showing the ferocity and 

 daring which is so characteristic of this species. Mr. Cash writes 

 that some farmers who had brought in specimens which they had 

 killed, stated that when once a Goshawk succeeded in capturing a 

 fowl from the barn yard he would be sure to return every day or 

 two, so that they were reasonably sure of shooting him sooner or 

 later. In a letter received from Mr. Manly Hardy, Brewer, Me., 

 dated Feb. 18, 1907, in speaking of the abundance of this hawk he 

 writes: "A few days ago a Goshawk came down among the houses 

 near by and captured a tame dove. A week ago a man handed 

 me a specimen which he had just shot in the act of killing a hen, he 

 already having been successful in killing two Plymouth Rocks. 

 In another yard near by a Goshawk had seized a hen, when a 

 woman caught him in her hands, and although she was badly 

 scratched she succeeded in killing him." 



Rev. C. W. G. Eifrig, Ottawa, Ont., in writing on winter birds 

 (The Ottawa Naturalist, Vol. XX, Feb. 15, 1906) states, in reference 

 to the Goshawk: "On Oct. 18, a fine large female was shot by 

 a farmer near East Templeton in the act of carrying away a good 

 sized Plymouth Rock rooster. On November 3, a boy shot a nice 

 male near the rifle range, which had just put himself on the outside 

 of a Ruffed G ouse. Mr. E. G. White noticed a pair together near 

 Pembroke, one also in the act of devouring a grouse." 



Mr. H. K. Coale, Highland Park, 111., informs me that in Novem- 

 ber, 1906, the coachman at a private residence of that town, caught 

 an adult Goshawk in the barn yard, while in the act of carrying off 

 a large hen he had just attacked. The hawk was kept alive and 

 exhibited at the publ.c school and afterwards liberated. 



Mr. W. H. Brownson, of Portland, Me., informs me that while 

 observing birds on Cape Elizabeth late in October, and while pass- 

 ing through a field adjacent to a farm-house, he found the skeleton 

 of a domestic fowl. It was picked clean, nothing but the feathers 

 of the head and wings remaining. Mr. Brownson called the atten- 

 tion of the fanner to it, who was, however, well aware how it hap- 



