508 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



birds or poultry, but, living largely on field-mice, is believed 

 to be a friend to the farmer ; but the goshawk, duck hawk, 

 Cooper hawk and sharp-shinned hawk are all bird slayers. 

 Of these four, the Cooper and sharp-shinned hawks, being 

 most common, are most destructive. The duck hawk kills, 

 like the cat, for the sake of killing. It pursues its prey on 

 the wing, rapidly overtaking swift-flying ducks. Mr. C. E. 

 Bailey reports seeing a duck hawk overtake and strike three 

 teal in succession, and then fly off, leaving its victims lying 

 on the water. Fortunately, this hawk is rather rare in 

 Massachusetts. The goshawk is here occasionally in win- 

 ter, but the Cooper hawk breeds here, and is still common, 

 locally if not generally. This bird, which is sometimes 

 known as the partridge hawk or chicken hawk, is a feath- 

 ered pirate. Swift, keen and daring, it is the terror of both 

 birds and poultry. It is the one bird of all others to neu- 

 tralize the local efforts of the bird protectionist. It is par- 

 ticularly obnoxious to the farmer, for, having once tasted 

 chicken, it continues its forays until it is shot or the chick- 

 ens shut up. It will sometimes kill full-grown fowls, but 

 probably cannot carry them away. Its keen eye detects the 

 mother bird sitting on the nest. At one swoop it snatches 

 bird, nest, eggs and all in its powerful talons ; or it spies 

 the nestlings, and picks them up as food for its own young. 

 Conspicuous songsters, like the brown thrasher, robin, wood 

 thrush, rose-breasted grosbeak and scarlet tanager, are swept 

 from their perches while in full song by this bold marauder, 

 and borne to its ravening brood. Even the crafty blue jay 

 does not always escape. As one of these hawks sweeps into 

 a clearing and strikes its prey, every bird song becomes 

 hushed. In a moment sparrows, warblers, thrushes, titmice, 

 all the loquacious, musical throng, find cover, or 

 crouch motionless in their hiding places in silent terror. 

 Grim death has been among them, and it is long before they 

 dare resume their activities. The sharp-shinned hawk is a 

 miniature of the Cooper hawk, although perhaps a trifle 

 slimmer in build. It is widely known as the chicken hawk, 

 and is strong and swift. It is nearly as dangerous to birds 

 as its larger and stronger congener. It breeds here, feeds 



