THE TRUE HAWKS 



361 



THE NEST OF A SPARROW HAWK IN A CAVITY 

 THIRTY FEET ABOVE GROUND 



The eggs are laid on the chips at the bottom of the 

 cavity without pretense of a nest. But this bears more 

 resemblance to a home than in the average case, as the 

 eggs are often laid on the bare ground. 



plunging, often from con- 

 siderable heights and 

 spearing with their talons. 

 The fish taken often weigh 

 several pounds and there is 

 a record of a hawk that 

 pounced upon a fish too 

 large for it to lift, and 

 being unable to relax its 

 talons, it was carried be- 

 neath and drowned. As be- 

 fore stated, the toes are 

 placed two in front and two 

 behind and the soles, more- 

 over, are armed with 

 sharp spicules for cutting 

 through the slime and as- 

 sisting in holding the slip- 

 pery, squirming prey. The 

 fish is carried lengthwise, 

 usually to some high perch 

 where it can be devoured. 

 Fish hawks are some- 

 times quite destructive to 

 spawning pike and pickerel 

 but ordinarily, the surface 



pecially where food is 

 abundant and where pro- 

 tection is afforded. Thus 

 on Gardiner's Island, 

 Long Island, there are 

 about 200 of these birds 

 nesting. It builds an 

 enormous nest of sticks, 

 usually on the top of a 

 broken tree, although 

 where protection is 

 given them, as on Gardi- 

 ner's Island, they some- 

 times descend to the 

 ground or like the Eu- 

 ropean storks, they build 

 on wagon wheels raised 

 on tall poles. 



Fish hawks are some- 

 times confused with bald 

 eagles because of their 

 great wing expanse and 

 the large white areas on 

 the head. Unlike the 

 eagles, however, their 

 underparts are white 

 and their tails dark. 

 They feed entirely upon 

 fish which they locate 

 near the surface of the 

 water, while hovering 

 overhead and secure by 



Photograph by H. H. Knight 



A ROCKY HOME ON A CLIFF 



Duck hawks have nested on this ledge for years, 200 feet from the 

 bottom of the ravine and 75 feet from the top. The old bird, casting 

 her shadow, is leaving the three young on the ledge, after having 

 brought them a pigeon. 



Photograph by H. H. Knight 



THE FALCON'S WATCH TOWER 

 This old hemlock was a favorite roosting place of the 

 Duck hawks, and here is shown one of the immature 

 birds after leaving the nest seeking the favorite perch 

 of its parents. 



feeding fish which they 

 catch are of little value. 



Taking the hawks as a 

 whole they are a much 

 maligned group of birds. 

 The whole family is usu- 

 ally made to pay for the 

 sins of a few, so much so 

 in fact, that even today 

 when most people are en- 

 lightened as to their value, 

 we still hear a cry for 

 bounties to be placed on 

 their heads. No greater 

 mistake could ever be made 

 than to start a wholesale 

 destruction of the birds of 

 prey. There are undoubt- 

 edly areas of extensive 

 poultry or game production 

 where hawks are too 

 numerous and should be 

 thinned out, but taken the 

 country over, they are as 

 necessary as any group of 

 birds. 



