48 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 



66. ACCIPITER COOPERI (Bonaparte). 



COOPER'S HAWK. 

 "Chicken Hawk." "Big Blue Darter." 



The first specimen of this hawk recorded was an adult 

 male taken at Greensboro, Nov. 13, 1877. Ten years 

 later (Aug. 30, 1887) the Doctor launches a tirade, not 

 undeserved, against this species. He writes: "No. 31 

 was shot while flying across the yard. A cooperi is more 

 destructive of game and fowls than any hawk. There 

 Is no telling how many pigeons this hawk has taken from 

 me this summer. On the 28th I fired twice at one and in 

 less than 15 minutes it returned and caught a pigeon. 

 Nothing can exceed the daring of Cooper's hawk. While 

 not as swift a flyer as the falcon, it is nevertheless very 

 destructive of fowls and game. I believe it destroys more 

 game and fowls than all the other species of hawks to- 

 gether. 



"One for instance has broken up the pigeons in the lit- 

 tle box against the gable end of the kitchen : it has caught 

 the old birds (cock and hen) and has caught the young 

 ones also. May my right hand forget her cunning if I 

 Ml them not!"' 



Sept. 13th, following, another specimen was taken, the 

 stomach of which contained "parts of a sand lizard." 

 Under this entry is written : "this hawk was killed flag- 

 rante delicto. She pursued a pigeon in the yard, knocked 

 it to the ground, and would have captured it but for my 

 presence. She pitched on the limb of a pine just outside 

 of the front gate, when she came to grief by a charge 

 from my gun. Specimen was mounted. 



The Doctor evidently delighted in taking a large series 

 of this species. Here is another note, entered Sept. 27, 

 1887, after the record of No. 35: "This hawk was a 

 large female; raked at pigeons; lit in a pine near the 

 house ; flew off into the grove ; just as I came out of the 

 house with my gun she circled high over the yard. I 

 cocked and presented, but having in my left hand a cha- 

 mois skin and a bunch of keys, I found on looking down 

 the barrel to aim at the hawk that the skin obstructed 

 the line of aim; I had to throw it down, recover my aim 



