72 FRANK SCHLEY'S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING. 



perceived. The raccoon has an acute sense of smell, 

 and a keen appetite for such food. It seldom passes a 

 roosting covey without leaping upon them. The Pole Cat 

 destroys large numbers of these birds, not only when 

 pressed for food in the winter season, but in summer when 

 the birds are young. The Chicken Hawk, Goshawk (Astur 

 atricapillus) is a great foe of the Partridges. This* swift, 

 strong, bold hawk lurks around their haunts from early 

 morn until dewy eve, and it never hesitates to sweep down 

 and catch up a bird and make off with it almost in a 

 breath. When they are flushed by this bird they fly in 

 every direction, and make for thick cover, and will hide 

 themselves in brush piles, high grass, or the like, and then 

 they are hard to flush. Remember this, whenever you see a 

 Chicken Hawk lurking around particular fields, and sitting 

 about on certain trees in autumn or winter, you may then 

 be sure that there is a covey of birds not far off, for they 

 will haunt a covey of birds until every bird in the covey 

 is destroyed. Of all the foes of the Partridges, I shall 

 award the palm to the Pigeon Hawk, American Merlin, 

 (Falco columbarius), as the most destructive of all the 

 hawks. This quick flighted, bold and daring hawk, is but 

 a trifle larger than a Partridge, but it is bold, savage and 

 strong, and very swift and quick on the wing, and darts 

 upon its prey with the swiftness of an arrow. I have seen- 

 it pitch as it were from the clouds, and it would cut the 

 air when coming down after its prey, with the impetus and 

 speed of a rocket. The daring and boldness of this hawk 

 are remarkable. I have often shot Partridges flying in full 

 flight and they would be darted upon by this bird and car- 

 ried off, before they would reach the ground, and I have 

 often had the pleasure, when out Partridge shooting, of 

 stopping a Partridge with one barrel of my gun, and bring- 

 ing to the ground, this quick flighted assassin with the 

 other barrel, when it was in the act of carrying off the 

 bird that it had seized, and I had just killed. The great 

 horned owl (Bubo Virginianus), is a destructive foe. It 

 preys upon them in the night when they are sleeping. 



