Vo1 - ? ^ IV 1 Cameron, Birds of Custer & Davenport Counties, Mont. 261 



the creek and alighted in the immediate vicinity of the fowls. The latter 

 were well accustomed to watch for hawks, and any large bird seen in the 

 sky would send them scurrying for shelter. The Goshawk, however, 

 invariably flew so low, that, like the prowling coyote, it was unperceived 

 until the moment of the fatal dash. The fowls became afraid in conse- 

 quence to leave the immediate vicinity of their houses, and on October 

 4, the hawk killed a pet white hen at the fowlhouse door, which made its 

 third victim. Despite our rule never to kill wild birds on the ranch, my 

 wife, now that her pet hen was slain, desired to shoot its murderer. On 

 my part I wished to spare this splendid but too audacious hawk, which, 

 although most wary at other times, showed extreme reluctance to leave 

 its prey. As the captured fowls weighed upwards of five pounds each it 

 could not carry them off but ate the back or breast of its victims where 

 they lay. A few days after the white hen episode the Goshawk killed a 

 very fine cockerel and was observed by me almost in the act. To escape 

 its enemy the terrified fowl had run under some young cedars which would 

 have saved it from a Prairie Falcon or Peregrine, but were no protection 

 against the relentless Goshawk which followed and seized its prey within 

 the cover. So great was the strength of this cockerel that it ran an uphill 

 distance of fifteen paces towards the fowl house, burdened with the cling- 

 ing hawk, ere it fell dead. The Goshawk kills its prey by constriction of 

 the feet, and it is quite certain that the squeeze combined with the shock 

 is rapidly fatal to fowls. On this occasion the hawk must have been 

 unusually hungry, for when deprived of its booty, it alighted in a cedar 

 nearby to watch the proceedings. Returning with a gun I carefully stalked 

 the bird and fired two ineffectual shots as it flew away. The hawk then 

 rose to a great height and, after flying some distance, boldly returned to its 

 haunt on the pine-covered hill above mentioned. Early next morning 

 I observed the bird again fly to the spot where the cockerel had been 

 killed and managed to disable it by a long shot which apparently fractured 

 the ulna of the left wing. 



Not being severely wounded the hawk managed to flap into a cedar 

 but was here captured and placed in an empty barn. When handled (of 

 course with thick gloves) the Goshawk from the first made no sort of attempt 

 to show fight, but only looked at me reproachfully with its orange eyes. 

 The plumage and size (which equals the largest dimensions given) deter- 

 mine it to be an adult female. On October 18, 1906, a second Goshawk 

 appeared, resembling the captive in all respects, but did no damage until 

 October 27 when it was surprised in the act of eating a large hen close by 

 the fowl house. The victim was first struck about fifteen yards behind 

 the building but had run this distance down hill dragging the hawk. The 

 evening was exceedingly calm, and the hawk having gorged itself on the 

 entire breast of the fowl in a place walled in by low hills found great diffi- 

 culty in rising above them. Indeed I think I could have thrown my 

 stick and killed the bird as it was flapping awkwardly "for want of air to 



