108 



FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 



If 

 I 



white pat(;h on its rntn|). Quartering the country with slow, vacillating 

 flight, it usually captures its living prey by sur[»rising it away from 

 its retreats. 



The Harrier is a low-perching Hawk, and most frequently will 

 be seen alighting on a slight elevation or in the grass. During the 

 nesting season the nuile nniy be seen endeavoring to win the admira- 

 tion of tiie principal sj)ectator by performing a number of extraor- 

 dinary aerial evolutions. Sometimes he soars to a great lieight, 

 then falls straight downward nearly to the ground, turning several 

 somersaults during the descent, and uttering at the same time a re- 

 iterated screeching. At other times he flies across the marsh in a 

 course which would outline a gigantic saw, each of the descending 

 parts being done in a somersault and accompanied by the screeching 

 notes, which form the only love song within the range of his limited 

 vocal powers. — Ernkst E. Thompson. 



'• Of 124 stomachs examined, 7 contained poultry, or game birds ; 

 34, other birds; 57, mice; 23, other mamnuils; 7, reptiles; 2, frogs; 

 14, insects; 1, indeterminate matter, and 8 wero empty" (Fislier). 



83S* Accipiter velox ( Wih.). Shakp-shinnki) Hawk, .l*/.— Upper 

 parts sluty gray ; j^riman'ts barred w!th blavkifih ; tuil neiirly square, ashy 



gniy, with hlaokisli eross-burs and a wliit- 

 ifsli tip; tliroat white, streaked wit! I blaek- 

 isli; rest of under parts barred with white 

 and ochraoeous-butl' or pale rufous, Im. — 

 Upper parts fuseous, niarj^ined witli rufous; 

 primaries and tail inueii as in tlic ml. ; un- 

 der j)arts wliitt! or butt'y white, sircaked or 

 spotted with itlaekisli or pale rufciU:^-brown. 

 <5 L., 11-25; W., (K.O; T., fy'yO; B. froin N., 

 •40. 9 L., 13-r)0 ; W., 8-00 ; T., V'OO. 



Jicinnrkn. — This sjieeies very elosely re- 

 sendjles Cooper's Hawk, In atlult pluuiajjc 

 the black eap ehanieterizes that species, but 

 immature birds may be distin^ui.shed only 

 by size and tlie ditl'ereiice in the shape of 

 the tail, which in velox, is nearly square, and in cooperi decidedly rounded. 



liaiKje. — Bree<ls throu!i:hout the United States, and winters fnim Mas.sa- 

 chusetts to Central America. 



Washington, common P. K. Sing Sing, common P. II. Cambridge, com- 

 mon T. v., Apl. 15 to Apl. 30; Sept. and Oct. ; rare S. R.. uncommon W. V. 



Nest, in trees, f^f\een to forty feet from the ground, ^f/f/'f, t'liree to 8i.\, 

 varying from bluish wliite to l>ale eream-butf, distinctly spotted, heavily 

 blotched, or even washed with chocolate or cinuamon-rurous, Vbb x 1*20. 



The generally misapplied names "Hen Hawk" and "Chicken 

 Hawk " should he restricted to the birds of this genus, for they de- 



Fio. or. 



-Sfiuare tail of Sharp- 

 shinued Hawk. 



