BIRDS OF NEW YORK 75 



most generally distributed species, breeding from Hudson bay and the lower 

 MacKenzie to Florida and Lower California; and wintering from New 

 England and New York southward to Central America. In our State it 

 is very common during the migrations, March 20 to April 30 and September 

 i to October 30, especially about April 10 and from September 20 to October 

 10, when several scores, or even hundreds, of these hawks may be seen in 

 a single day, in the line of greatest migration not far from the coast and 

 in the country near the southern shore of Lake Ontario. A few remain 

 through the winter in the warmer portions of the State, and the species 

 nests throughout the State, most commonly in the wooded country. 



Habits. This American representative of the European Sparrow 

 hawk is often miscalled the Pigeon hawk but is quite different in appearance, 

 as already indicated, from Falco columbarius. It is " blue," 

 however, in the adult plumage, and is not inferior to that little falcon in 

 fierceness, often attacking birds which are fully its equal in size, and working 

 terrible destruction upon the small birds of the field and forest which are 

 unfortunate enough to establish their homes near its chosen haunts. About 

 the " killing log " or " butchering block," which is found near the nest of 

 the Sharp-shinned hawk, one may see the feathers of thrushes, sparrows, 

 wood warblers, flickers and young grouse scattered in profusion, telling 

 their sad tale of the carnage which this little demon has wrought among 

 the peaceful denizens of the wood. It is a low-flying hawk, dashing swiftly 

 through the groves and coppice, and seizing its victims as they dash for 

 cover or watching for them from the shade of some leafy tree and pouncing 

 upon them as they pass by. In this respect this and the two following 

 species, our true hawks, differ from those hawks which feed largely upon 

 mammals, batrachians and insects, and watch for them from some con- 

 spicuous perch. Doctor Fisher's examinations show that the food of this 

 species consists almost entirely of birds, and the experience of all New York 

 observers as well as my own studies of its habits and of its stomach contents 

 point to the same result. Consequently I believe this hawk should be 



