1 



534 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



ground, along fences or hedges, and pouncing sud- 

 denly upon its unsuspecting prej'. Thej' subsist 

 upon birds, mice, and even moles, and I once 

 caught one in a trap baited with a living chicken. 

 The present species is so closely allied to its Eu- 

 ropean Congener, the well known Gos-liaivk, so 

 highly noted for its feats in hawking, that by 

 many it has been described as the same. 



The length of this species is twenty-one to 

 twonty-fiveinches ; breadth of wing, about three 

 feet ; plumage above, fine slate blue, beneath, 

 white, most elegantly speckled with fine, trans- 

 verse, pencilled, zigzag lines of dusky. The Hon. 

 C. L. Flint, Secretary of the Massachusetts 

 Board of Agriculture, in his last report on the 

 State Cabinet, speaks of having received as many 

 as twenty specimens of the Gos-Hawk during the 

 year, (1859,) from which it appears that they are 

 not so remarkably rare in New England as for- 

 merly supposed ; and I am quite confident that 

 this Hawk breeds in this vicinity, and that it is 

 often seen skimming over our meadows and fields 

 with a swift gliding flight. 



Cooper's Hawk, {Astur Cooperi, Bonap.,) a 

 bird named by the Prince of Musignano in honor 

 of William (Z!ooper, of Now York, is an elegant 

 and quite rare species in New England, though 

 said to be common in the Middle States, particu- 

 larly New York, in autumn and towards winter. 

 A fine specimen, now in my possession, was .shot 

 a few days since while prowling about for chick- 

 ens, it boldly alighting within a few paces of the 

 house. It seems to be an active, fearless bird, and 

 its depredations among the poultry are often quite 

 annoying. The specimen before me measures 

 nineteen inches in length, and thirty in alar ex- 

 tent. Color above chocolate-brown, darker on the 

 head and neck, where it is edged with rufous and 

 white ; below, white striped with dusky. 



The Stanley Haavk, (Astur Sfanleii, Aud.,) 

 a new species of Audubon, in size and markings 

 corresponds very nearly with the above (^Isiiir 

 Coojyeri,) and is now generally considered to be 

 the same in a different state of plumage. 



The Broad-Winged Hawk, (Astur latissi- 

 mus, Jar.,) by Bonaparte is placed in this genus, 

 though approaching the Buzzards in habits and 

 food, as well as somewhat in form. Sir William 

 Jardin, in his excellent notes to Wilson's work, 

 doubtfully places it in Astnr, with the Hawks 

 above described ; but speaks of it as "one of those 

 birds with dubious and combined characters." 

 Though not abundant, it is occasionally seen in 

 all the northern Atlantic States, particularly in 

 the Middle and New England States, where it is 

 generally resident, and is rarely seen as far south 

 as Louisiana, even in our severest winters. Its 

 food consists of small birds, chickens, ducklings, 

 the smaller animals, and even frogs and snakes ; 

 and it is said to be rather sluggish in its disposi- 

 tion. The length of this Hawk, is fourteen inches ; 

 breadth of wing thirty-three inches ; plumage 

 above, dark brown, streaked with whitish on the 

 head ; beneath, v\^hite, marked on the breast with 

 pointed spots of brown ; female much larger. 



The next section or sub-family of the Falconi- 

 dce that we meet, the Milvincc (true Kites ; Cym- 

 indince of some systematists.) is probably unrepre- 

 sented in the fauna of New England, though a 

 beautiful representative is found in the South- 

 ern States in the. Swallow-Tailed Hawk (Naucle- 



rus furcaius, Vigars,) and though rarely seen far- 

 ther eastward than Pennsylvania, has, in a few 

 instances, been captured in the State of New 

 York, yet is sometimes seen in the interior as far 

 north as the 44th degree of latitude. It is a bird 

 of singular form and habits, devouring its prey, 

 whatever it may be, in the air, and subsists large- 

 ly upon insects. Jardins observes, "I am aware 

 of none that feed so decidedly on the wing as that 

 now described ; in everything it will appear more 

 like a large swallow than an acciptrine bird." 



The next number, containing an account of the 

 Buzzard (Butecince,) will conclude the diurnal 

 birds of prey. j. a. a. 



For the New England Parmer. 

 PIAIfO AND WASH-TUB. 



Mr. Editor : — In the Farmer of October 6, in 

 an article headed "Piano vs. Wash-tub," are set 

 forth notions and ideas, rather behind the times, 

 to a part of which I would like to reply. I am not 

 a son of a farmer, or the husband of a farmer's 

 wife, or a husband of any kind. The writer ad- 

 dresses the "dear good ladies," of the present day, 

 and asks them to compare their situation with 

 that in which their mothers and grandmothers 

 vvere placed ; to compare their household applian- 

 ces and utensils, rude and few, with the improved 

 many of the present day; states that they, (the 

 mothers,) knew no piano but the spinning-wheel, 

 no seraphine but the wash-tub ; that the cackling 

 of hens, geese and turkeys, blended with squeal- 

 ir.gs of pigs and lowing of kine, M'as music to 

 their ears, and that they desired no better ; and to 

 sum up, they were considered far belov,' the gen- 

 erality of Vv'omen. Did they not rear from ten to 

 fourteen fat, rugged sons and daughters and 

 clothe them all, in summer and winter, substan- 

 tially and comfortably, doing the spinning, weav- 

 ing and making with their own hands? That they 

 were educated as farmer's wives should be, not to 

 play the piano, or make pictures ; but to spin and 

 tveave, halcc and Jjrew, make and mend, while their 

 husbands would plow and sow, mow and rake, 

 reap and thrash, and in nine cases out of ten, 

 they were contented with their lot. 



Now, Mr. Editor, what do we see in all this, 

 but Avork, work, dig, delve, eat, eat, drink ; mere 

 brute contentment ? Certainly, no aims to intel- 

 lectual or social enjoyment, no newspapers — New 

 England Farmer included — no pleasant studies, 

 music, drawing, painting, &c., nothing but "work, 

 work, work." I admit, that on a pleasant Mon- 

 day morning, in aback room, a "rub-a-dub," per- 

 formed on awash-board, with a door-yard accom- 

 paniment of clucking and cackling fowls, is a 

 pleasing scene; can almost fancy myself looking 

 on a similiar one in a particular place in New 

 Hampshire. I think it quite an improvement in 

 the times, as we now have both piano and wash- 

 l)oard in the same house, pluyed by the same 

 hands. I am acquainted with many people, old 

 and young, of both sexes, who obtain their living, 

 and a good one too, by diverse occupations and 

 labor, and are good practical musicians and sing- 

 ers, their singing and playing not interfering with , 

 their business in the least ; know a young lady 

 who plays the seraphine, can drive four horses, 

 and I have no doubt is a great help to her moth- 

 er ; know ai'.otlier who can get a good dinner, 



