175 



grackles which was crossing the river, and liill four or five of 

 thera. After giving each victim a fatal squeeze the hawk al- 

 lowed it to tall in the water, and at the close of the chase re- 

 turned and picked all from the surface. " 



The fierce nature of this species is well shown in the 

 concluding paragraphs from the pen of my friend, L. 

 M. Turner:* 



PTARMIGANS ARE EASY PREY. 



"The tracts preferred by the Goshawk are the narrow val- 

 leys, borders of streams and the open tundra, which it con- 

 stantly scans for Ptarmigan and small mammals; the 

 I^emming forming a considerable portion of its food. It wi.l 

 sit for hours in some secluded spot, awaiting a Ptarmigan 

 to raise its wings. No sooner does its prey rise a few feet 

 from the earth than with a few rapid strokes of the wing 

 and a short sail, the Goshawk is brought within seizing dis- 

 tance! it pounces upon the bird, grasping it with both feet 

 under the wings, and after giving it a few blows on the head 

 they both fall to the ground, often tumbling several feet 

 before they stop, the hawk not relinquishing its hold during 

 the time. During the mating season of the Ptarmigans many 

 males suffer death while striving to gain the affection of the 

 female, for as he launches high in the air, rattling his hoarse 

 note of defiance to any other male of its kind in the vicinity, 

 the Goshawk darts from a patch of alders or willows, or 

 from the e^ge of the neighboring bluff, and with a. dash they 

 come to the ground, often within a few yards of the terror- 

 stricken female, who now seeks safety in flight as distant as 

 her wings will carry her. I have seen this hawk sail without 

 a quiver of its pinions until within seizing distance of its 

 quarry, and suddenly throw its wings back, when with a 

 crash they came together, and all the vicinity was filled with 

 white feathers, floating peacefully through the air. I secured 

 both birds, and found the entire side of the Ptarmigan ripped 

 open. 



On another occasion I shot a fine individual as it rose from 

 a small clump of willows, to which I had approached un- 

 observed by the bird. It had been devouring a Ptarmigan, 

 which it had secured but a little while before. The flesh of 

 the bird was yet warm, though nearly all devoured. The 

 Goshawk was only wing-tipped with shot and proved to be 

 quite vicious, seizing my boot with its talons and striving to 

 grasp my hand with its beak. The bird was so quick that I 

 had to call the assistance of a native to detach the claws 

 from my clothing. Upon skinning the bird I found its crop 

 to be full of the flesh of the bird it was eating when I flushed 



♦Contributions to the Natural History of Alaska, results of 

 Investigations made chiefly in the Yukon district and the 

 Aleutian Islands; conducted under auspices of the United 

 States Signal Service, extending from May, 1874, to August, 

 1881, by L. M. Turner. 



