HAWES. 107 
of southern New York. It migrates northward in Feb- 
ruary and March, but does not nest until May. Unlike 
our other Hawks, it chooses a hollow tree for a home, 
often taking possession of a Woodpecker’s deserted hole. 
It lays three to seven eggs, which are finely and evenly 
marked with reddish brown. 
It is the Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks who are 
the real culprits in Hawkdom. They feed almost exclu- 
Sharpshinned Hawk, *ively on birds, and, having once ac- 
Accipiter velox. quired a taste for tender young broilers, 
Plate XVII. they are apt to make daily visits to the 
hen yards. They are less often observed than the Hawks 
previously mentioned, seeking less exposed perches and 
soaring comparatively little ; but, when seen, their slen- 
der bodies and long tails should aid in distinguishing 
them from the stouter, slower-flying Hawks. As a rule, 
they are silent. It is difficult to explain the differences 
between these and other Hawks with sufficient clearness 
to prevent one’s killing the wrong kind, but if the farmer 
will withhold his judgment against Hawks in general, 
and shoot only those that visit his poultry yard, he will 
not go far astray. 
Cooper’s Hawk resembles the Sharp-shinned in color, 
but is about four inches longer, and its outer tail-feathers 
are about half an inch shorter than the 
eet middle ones instead of being of equal 
length. With the preceding species it 
may be known by its slender form, long tail, compara- 
tively short wings, and long, thin tarsi or “legs.” 
The Chinese and Japanese train Cormorants to fish 
American Ouprey, for them, but the services of these birds 
Pundion haliactus | Would soon be at a discount if the 
aaron Osprey could be induced to work for a 
“master. What an inspiring sight it is 
to see one plunge from the air upon its prey! One can 
