THE WESTERN GOSHAWK. 201 



adult plumage, paid regular daily visits to the different poultry yards of the 

 garrison, and almost invariably managed to get away with a chicken. 1, as 

 well as others, tried time and again to put an end to these altogether too 

 frequent depredations, but no one succeeded in killing either of the birds. 

 They were too smart to be caught, knew just when to make their raids, and 

 were successful nearly every time. 



The following incident will illustrate the perfect fearlessness and audacity 

 of these Hawks. I was returning from a short hunt one afternoon in Sep- 

 tember, 1SX2, my breech-loader charged with dust shot. At the outskirts of 

 the garrison, near the cavalry stable, was an old brush corral, much frequented 

 bv the fowls kept in the neighborhood. While walking past this fence I 

 suddenly heard a great outcry and saw quite a commotion among a number 

 of chickens in the place, which were squeaking and scattering in all directions 

 at a lively rate. At the same instant a large Goshawk, an adult female, dashed 

 through the inclosure, failing to get a chicken this time, however. I fired at 

 her at short range, and, as it subsequently proved, peppered her well with dust 

 s'.iot as she went by, which possibly disconcerted her aim a little. Never 

 1 reaming' for an instant that the bird would return after such a reception, 

 I nevertheless inserted a heavier cartridge in my gun, and had scarcely done 

 so when she came back to make a second and last attempt at a too venture- 

 some chicken. This time I brought her down with a broken wing, and her 

 flight was so suddenly arrested that she rolled over several times after striking 

 on the ground. I never saw more vindictive fury expressed in a bird's eyes 

 than was shown by hers. She tried to attack me, and would have done so 

 had she not been so badly wounded. The will and courage to do so wei'e 

 there, but her strength failed her. On skinning her I found a number of dust 

 shot imbedded under the skin, showing that she had been hit the first time I 

 fired. This, though, was not sufficient to cause her to leave without her 

 intended victim, notwithstanding the fact that she saw me plainly enough the 

 second, if not the first time. When its appetite for blood is once excited, the 

 (uishawk is certainly devoid of all fear and discretion as well, while under 

 ordinary circumstances there is no shyer bird to circumvent and bring to bag. 



Mr. L. Belding met with this bird in Calaveras County, California, where 

 it seems to be a summer resident. 



The Western Goshawk becomes strongly attached to the locality once 

 chosen for a breeding ground. I noticed, especially at Camp Harney, Ore- 

 gon, that considerable discrimination was shown by these birds in the selection 

 of such places only in which the game they fed on was most abundant. 



Besides a shrill scream of anger they have a call note resembling the 

 word "keeah, keeah," or "kree-ah," frequently repeated, this note being often 

 uttered in the early spring. Their food consists of the different game birds 

 found in the country they inhabit, especially the Sooty Grouse, as well as 

 hares and smaller mammals. One of the nests found by me contained the 

 partly-eaten remains of a Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse. 



