KALCONIDiE — THE FALCONS. 



Measurements. 



241 



A'lir. strUdulus. 

 National Museum, 9 ; R. Rid{,'\vay, 1 ; Museum, Cambridge, 1 (Massachusetts !). Total, 



U. 



Habits. The dreaded Blue lien Hawk, as our Gcsliawk is usually called 

 in New England, is a bird of somewhat irregular occurrence south of tlie 

 44th parallel. It occurs in 

 the vicinity of Boston from 

 November to ^larch, but is 

 never very common. In other 

 parts of the State it is at times 

 not uncommon at this season. 

 It is common throughout 

 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, 

 and Northern Maine, and 

 n)ay undoubtedly be found 

 breeding in the northern por- 

 tions of New Hampslftre, Ver- 

 mont, and New York. In the 

 summer of 1872, Mr. George 

 Ba.xter, of Danville, Vt., pro- 

 cured a nest containing three 

 young birds, which were sent 

 to the New York Central Park. 

 Mr. Downes speaks of it as 

 "far too common" in the vicinity of Halifax, where it is very destructive to 

 Ducks, Pigeons, and poultry. Mr. Boardman gives it as common near Calais, 

 where it breeds, and where he has taken its eggs. :Mr. Verrill mentions 

 it as resident in Western Maine, where it is one of the most common 

 Hawks. Mr. Allen found it usually rare near Springfield, but remarkably 

 common during the winter of 1859-00. He afterwards mentions that 

 since then, and for the last ten winters, he has known them to be quite 

 common during several seasons. Mr. C. J. Maynard is confident that this 

 species occasionally breed in Massachusetts. He once observed a pair at a 

 vor.. iir. 31 



Astur atricapillus. 



