FROM THE ELM-CLUMP 113 



the killing. Nearly all the depredations upon the 

 farmer's poultry, in the fall, to the northward, 

 are committed by these birds. When the young 

 emerge from the northern woods, they have all 

 the ferocity of their elders, but lack the discre- 

 tion necessary to keep them out of the farm- 

 yard; as a result many hens and ducks, also 

 happily a few hawks, meet an untimely end. 

 Thus a farmer once showed me the remains of 

 five goshawks that he had shot during one 

 autumn in his yard. 



Then, apparently to prove the old saying that 

 ills do not come singly, another evil genius of 

 the hawk clan came along. He also arrived 

 from the north, but came along the shore; and 

 as he drew near, two kingbirds gave chase and 

 drove him full tilt into the elm-clump, where 

 he lit almost over our heads. His bluish coat, 

 light underparts, and blackish throat-patches, 

 and his speedy flight, pronounced him a duck 

 hawk. A smaller edition of the goshawk, he has 

 all the latter's bad qualities, and in addition a 

 few original touches of his very own. His 

 strength and speed are terrible; his tenacity and 

 deadliness of purpose make him dreaded by al- 

 most every non-raptorial bird. Unlike the gos- 



