230 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



1st of jMny. Their nests are made entirely of sticlcs, larj^or on the ontside, 

 and sniiiller within. Tiiey usually build in a honil()(;k-tree, selectinj^ a tliick 

 clninp. They are very noisy when they are at work building their nest, and 

 often betray their presence by their cries. The younger the pair the more 

 noisy they arc. This Hawk apjjcars to live nearly altogether on small birds. 

 Mr. Street mentions having found ten or twelve skeletons in a single nest of 

 this species. 



Nisus cooperi (JioNAP.). 



Tar. cooperi, Bonap. 



COOPER'S HAWK. 



Fako cooperi, T!oN.\r. Am. Om. pi. .v, fig. 1, 182") ; Ann. Lye. N. Y. II, 433 ; Isis, 1832, 

 1137. — .Iames. (Wils.) Am. Oni. IV, 1831, 3. — Peab. H. Mass. Ill, 78. Accipikr 

 cooperi, GnAV, List H. liiit. Mils. 38, 1844; C.cn. B. fol. sp. 6. —Cass. Birds Cnl. & 

 Tc.\. )). 96, 1854 ; Binls N. Aw. 18.18, 10.— Scf.ai-. IV. Z. S. 18.')9, 380 ((iifrerencp from 

 A. pilealiix, Max.). — Hi:i;i;m. P. K. U. IU'\>\ VII, 31, 1857. — Coop. & Si-ckl. P. K. It. 

 Ecp't, XII, ii, 14.5, 18C0. — CouKs, Prod. Orn.Ariz. p. 7, 1806. — Diiksseh, Ibis, 1865, 

 323 (Texas). — Hl.AKl.sr. Il)is, III, 1861, 317. — Sci.. & Salv. Ex. Orii. I, 1869, 170. 

 — Okay, llaiul List, I, 32, 18C9. Aslnr cooperi, Jauh. (Wii.s.) Am. Orn. Ill, 3G3, 

 1832. — lidSAP. List, p. 5 ; IJcv. Zool. 1850, 489 ; Consp. Av. 31. — De K,\.Y, Zoiil. 

 K. Y. II, 18, pi. iv, p. 5. — Newii. P. R. R. Rt-p't, VI, iv, 74. 1857. — Max. Cub. 

 Journ. VI, 1858, 13. Falco stanlei/i, Afl). B. Am. pis. xxxvi, cxli ; Oni. Biog. I, 186. 

 Acciplkr pikalus (not of Max. I), Stiuckl. Oni. Syn. I, 109, 1855. Accipikr cooperi, 

 BiiEWEit, Oology, 1857, 20, pi. v, f. 55. 



Sp. Char. Adult male (No. 10,080). Forehead, crown, and occiput blackish-pliim- 

 beous ; the latter snowy-white beneath the surface ; rest of upper parts slaty-plumbeous, 

 tlie najie abruptly lighter than the occiput; leather.^ of the nape, back, scapulars, and 

 rump with darker shaft-lines; scapulars with concealed cordate and circular spots of 

 white; upper tail-coverts sharply tipped with white. Tail more brownish than the 

 rump, sharply tipped with pure white, and crossed with three broad, sharply defined 

 Ijands of black, the first of which is concealed, the last much broadest ; that portion of 

 the shaft, between the two exposed lilack bands white. Lores grayish; cheeks and 

 throat white, with fine, hair-like shaft-streaks of blacki.sh ; ear-coverts and sides of neck 

 more ashy, and more fiiintly streaked. Ground-color beneath pure white; but with 

 detached transverse bars of rich vinaceou.s-rufous, crossing the jngiilum, breast, sides, 

 Hanks, abdomen, and tibite ; the white bars everywhere (except on sides of the breast) 

 ratlier exceeding the rufous in width ; all the feathers (except tibial plumes) with distinct 

 black .shaft-lines ; lower tail-coverts immaculate, pure white. Lining of the wing white, 

 with numerous cordate spots of rufous; coverts with transverse blackish bars; under 

 side of primaries silvery-white, purest ba.sally (tips du.sky), crossed with (piadratc bars 

 of dusky, of which there are six (the first only indicated) upon the longest quill (fourth). 

 Wing, 9.20; tail, 7.80; tarsus, 2.3.5 ; middle toe, l.GO. Fourth quill longest ; third shorter 

 than fifth; second intermediate between sixth and seventh; first, 2.80 shorter than 

 longest; graduation of tail, 1.00. 



Adult female (26,588, Washington, D. C. ; Elliott Cones). Similar to the male. Fore- 

 head tinged with brownish ; upper plumage much less bluish. Neck and ear-coverta 

 iiiiifoinily rufous, with black shaft-streaks, there being no ashy wash as in the male. 

 Tail decidedly less bluish than in the male, crossed with four bands, three of which are 

 exposed. The rufous bars beneath less viiiaceous than in the male, but of about the 



