2G2 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



s])ecimen that liad been feeding on a meatlow-niouse. On liis approach it 

 uttered a whining whistle and Hew to another tree. Anotlier ol" tiie same 

 Hpeeies was oljserved, and its movements were in wide circh'S, with unmoving 

 wings. Niittall never met witli it, and regarded it as very rare. 



iViuhilion characterizes this Hawk as sjjiritless, inactive, and deficient in 

 courage, seldom chasing other birds of jaey, but itself freipiently annoyed 

 by the little Sparrow-Hawk, the Kinglard, and the Martin. It only attacks 

 liirds of a weak nature, young eliickens, and ducklings, and feeds on small 

 animals and insects. It is usually found singly, is easily ajiproached, and 

 when wounded throws itself on its back, erects its top feathers, utters a 

 hissing sound, and attempts to defend itself with its talons. 



A nest of this bird, found by Mr. Audubon, is said to have been about 

 the size of that of the Crow, and to have been placed in the larger branches 

 of a tree, near the trunk. It was composed externally of dry sticks and 

 briers ; internally, of small roots, and lined witli numerous large i'eatiiers. 

 The nest found by Professor Adams, near Middlel)ury, \t., was (piite large, 

 and was coarsely constructed of sticks, and lined only with fibrous roots and 

 tine grass. In this instance the eggs were three. This is the more usual 

 numljcr, though occasionally four or five are found. 



Mr. Boardman informs me that Mr. Audubon's account of the spiritless 

 maimer in which one of these Hawks suffered him to ca]iture it on its nest 

 docs not at all correspond with his own experience. He has, on the con- 

 trary, found it one of the most courageous and s])irited of its family. On 

 one occasion, when a man eni])loyed by him was ascending to a nest, a 

 parent bird assailed the disturber with great fury, tore his cap frnni his head, 

 and would have done the man serious injury had it not been shot. In 

 another instance one of these l)irds attacked a boy climbing to its nest, and 

 fastened its talons in his arm, and could not be removed until it was beaten 

 off and killed with a club. 



The eggs of this Hawk have an average length of 2.00 inches, and an 

 average breadth of l.til. The smallest egg measures 1.94 by l.r»(( inciies, 

 and the largest 2.11 Ijy 1.72 inches, showing considerable variation in their 

 relative capacity, but not so nmch as is i'ound among the eggs of other spe- 

 cies. In shape, the eggs are of a slightly rounded oval, one end a little 

 less ol)tu.se than the other. The ground-color is oi' a grayish or dirty white, 

 occasionally with a slightly silvery shading. These are marked, usually 

 over the entire egg, in irregular distribution, with varying shades of l)rown. 

 The more conunon is a light tawny or reddish-brown. Intermingld with 

 these Ijlotches are often found a ])eculiar fainr purplish-brown, dull shading 

 of a light yellowish-lirown, ami a deep rich shade of purplish-brown, 

 approaching occasionally almost in intensity to black. These may occur 

 separately, or they may all be found l)lended in the same egg. The size, 

 siiape, and peculiar coloring of the eggs of this Hawk make them readily 

 recognizable, though uot readily permitting a satisfactory description. 



