HAWKING 235 



has a habit of hovering a few feet above the grass 

 and pouncing down at grasshoppers and crickets. 

 The pigeon hawk is a little larger, has broader 

 shoulders and is dark blue above, while the duck 

 hawk is a much larger falcon and has markings 

 like black mustachios. He has a dashing way 

 with him. I was watching a flock of grass birds 

 in the salt marsh w^hen a duck hawk suddenly ap- 

 peared, struck one of them dead within thirty 

 yards of me, passed on in its impetuous flight, 

 but, swinging about, seized the dead bird in its 

 talons and was off. The whole thing was done 

 in the twinkling of an eye so that it was difficult 

 to realize what had happened. This is the habit 

 of the duck hawk or the peregrine falcon, a quick 

 rush or ''stoop" in the language of the hawker, a 

 strike in passing, which kills, and a return to bear 

 off the prey. The strike is almost always on a 

 bird awing. Ducks evince the greatest terror 

 when this falcon dashes in amongst a flying flock. 

 Not so when they are swimming on the water. 

 One December day I saw a splendid duck hawk 

 fly out from the dunes and scale over a flock of 

 scoter ducks on the ocean. It then turned about 



