162 



Pheasants or Ruffed Groase, both old and young, also 

 quail, are destroyed in considerable numbers by the 

 Sharp-shinned hawks. Young rabbits and squirrels 

 are occasionally captured by these hawks, and on on<' 

 occasion, a few years ago, a hunter of my acquaint^ 

 ance shot and presented to me a pair of these hawks 

 which had killed several young wild turkeys, which ho 

 said were about one-third grown. I have known both 

 the Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, which had 

 probably been watching coveys of quail, to suddenly 

 swoop down and seize a quail which had been shot, 

 when the spoitsnian was only a few yards from the 

 quail he liad killed or wounded. Doves, which in re- 

 cent years or since the wild pigeons have disappeared 

 from this region, are eagerly sought after by sports- 

 men in many sections of the State, are very often de- 

 stroyed by these hawks, and they also sometimes at- 

 tack domestic pigeons. 



According to Nuttall: 



"This species feeds particularly upon mice, lizards, small 

 birds, and sometimes even squirrels. In thinly settled dis- 

 tricts this Hawk seems to abound, and P'ro\es extremely de- 

 structive to young chickens, a single bird having been known 

 regularly to come every day until he had carried away be- 

 tween twenty and thirty." 



The same writer relates a circumstances, wjiere he 

 was one day conversing with a planter, when one of 

 these hawks came down and without any cereudonv 

 or heeding the loud cries of the housewife, who most 

 I'chictantly witnessed the robbery, snatched away ;i 

 chicken directly befor<' them. 



Dr. (youes says: 



"It preys chiefly upon small birds and quadrupeds, captur- 

 ing in the dashing manner of all the species of this gmuj), 

 and, like its small allies, feeds to some extent upon insects." 



