BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 123 



served the hawk rising, as if without effort, a few yards in the air, and again 

 falling toward the ground with the rapidity of lightning. I proceeded 

 to the spot and found the hawk grappled to the body of the cock, both 

 tumbling over and over, and paying no attention to me as I approached. 

 Desirous of seeing the result, I remained still until, perceiving that the 

 hawk had given a fatal squeeze to the brave cock, I ran to secure the 

 former ; but the marauder had kept a hawk's eye upon me, and, disen- 

 gaging himself, rose in the air in full confidence. The next moment I 

 pulled the trigger and he fell dead to the ground." Audubon. 



Like the Sparrow Hawk this bird has been tamed to come at call. 



Nidification commonly is begun about the 20th of April, and lasts for 

 a period of from three to five days. Occasionally this bird will (deposit 

 its eggs in a deserted crow's nest. I believe they prefer to erect their 

 own nests, and, from my observation, am quite positive they only ap- 

 propriate the nests of other birds when their own have been destroyed. 

 The building of the nest is the conjoint labor of both birds. It is usually 

 built in a thick woods. When in such a locality is mostly low down, 

 yet, when, as is occasionally the case, an isolated tree is selected as the 

 nesting site, it is frequently so placed as to render it inaccessible to all 

 advances of the oologist. Externally the nest is built of sticks, varying 

 much in size. It is generally lined with the inner layer of bark, al- 

 though, frequently, blades of grass, feathers, and leaves enter into the 

 construction of the interior. While certain writers have described the 

 nest as broad, with but a slight concavity, I would remark that such 

 statement is not in accord with my observations, as I have invariably 

 found the concavities to be well marked. 



The eggs measure about 1.92 by 1.50 and usually number from three 

 to four, although it is not a rare occurrence to find five. Their color is 

 a dull, bluish-white. Exceptional sets are sometimes taken with numer- 

 ous and unevenly distributed brown or reddish spots. A gentleman of 

 my acquaintance once took four eggs from a nest which were void of 

 spots. The female, although driven off when the first complement was 

 taken, made in the same nest a second deposit of four eggs, and, strange to 

 say, the last were all spotted. The period of incubation is given by 

 Gentry to be eighteen days. Although in this particular, my observa- 

 tion has been somewhat limited, I am fully persuaded that the time re- 

 quired for this, likewise other of our Rapacia, is, certainly, three weeks, 

 or over. The young leave the nest in about twenty-five days ; when 

 about eight or nine weeks old they are able to provide food for them- 

 selves; to this time, however, they are carefully guarded by the old 

 birds, and fed almost entirely on a diet of small birds, young chickens, 

 and some few insects. 



Dr. Coues says in speaking of this hawk: "Possessed of spirit com- 

 mensurate with its physical powers, it preys upon game little if any 

 humbler than that of our more powerful falcons. It attacks and de- 



