BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS, 261 



chickens ; the hen, no longer hen-hearted in defence of her 

 young, gives battle to the little hawk and destroys him. I 

 believe that the nest of this bird has not been found in our 

 State. 



The Pigeon Hawk, Falco columbarius, is rare in the wes- 

 tern part of the state, and Nuttall had the impression that it 

 was not seen in New England ; but Dr. Brewer informs me that 

 he has often found it in the vicinity of Boston. It is migratory 

 in its habits, and, when in pursuit of its prey, cares not whither 

 it goes. It siezes the robin, the wild pigeon, and even the 

 gold-winged woodpecker, on the land ; and on the water, it 

 pursues much larger birds, which can escape from it only by 

 diving. It has been known to attack birds in cages, in the 

 very heart of cities ; and so indifferent is it to danger, that it 

 does not even shun the presence of man, the common object 

 of dread. When wounded, it throws itself on its back as the 

 hunter approaches, and with angry screams, prepares to defend 

 itself to the last. Where the pigeon hawk raises its young is 

 not certainly known. It is not seen in the United States ex- 

 cept in early autumn and winter ; in the spring and summer, 

 it is probably in the northern regions ; but at other seasons it 

 travels to the most southern boundaries of our country. 



The Little Corporal, Falco temerarius, is so rare a bird 

 that when Nuttall's work was published, the only specimen 

 known, was the one discovered in Pennsylvania, and described 

 by Audubon., twenty years before. In a spirit of somewhat 

 doubtful compliment, he named it after Napoleon, I believe 

 from some supposed personal resemblance to that great human 

 bird of prey. Nothing is yet known respecting its habits, nor 

 the place and the manner in which it rears its young ; but the 

 singular fact just mentioned, that three specimens of a bird so 

 uncommon were obtained at the same time in a single village, 

 seems to indicate that the species will be more common. This 

 would be no unheard of thing on the part of hawks, which 

 sometimes appear and remain in considerable numbers, where 

 none had been found for years, if ever before. 



