Hawks 



Silently overhead the hen-hawk sails 



With watchful measuring eye, and for his quarry waits. 



LOWELL. 



HERONS 



The heron is the impersonation of gloom, silence arid 

 solitude. 



PARKHURST. The Birds' Calendar. 31 



No family of birds is possessed of more of those qualities 

 which are especially regarded as picturesque than the 



herons Their flying attitude, however, is 



uncouth, with their necks bent backwards, their heads 

 resting against their shoulders, and their long legs stretched 

 out behind them in the most awkward manner. 



FLAGG. A Year With the Birds. 25 



HUMMING BIRD, RUBY-THROATED 



The most exquisite gem in all the galaxy. An admirable 

 creation from almost every point of view as delicate as 

 the cobweb that can cause its death, of such emotional 

 intensity that even terror alone may quench its life, of 

 ethereal mould and resplendent color, this tropical atom, 

 is, notwithstanding, lion-hearted to attack even a man 

 in defence of its nest. Valor and grace ne'er found a 

 more unique companionship. 



PARKHURST. The Birds' Calendar. 31 

 76 



