32 THE O. & O. SEMI-ANNUAL. 
HOW THE COOPER’S HAWK HUNTS HIS PREY. 
BY H. H. BRIMLEY, RALEIGH, N. C. 
I have, on four different occasions, had the pleasure of being a 
close spectator of a Cooper’s Hawk in pursuit of his prey. The 
way he did it was much the same in each case; below I give a 
short description of how it was done. 
About four years ago this fall I was 
hunting along a small creek in some 
rather thick woods. Suddenly from 
the rising ground behind me I heard 
a succession of whistling notes—I 
might almost say screams—giving 
me the idea of a bird in great fright. 
Turning quickly, I saw the maker of 
the music, in the shape of a Towhee, 
darting through the bushes for all he 
was worth, while not more than 
three feet behind him sailed a Coop- 
er’s Hawk, likewise apparently doing 
all he knew in the way of flying. 
The scene was a novel one to me 
then, having never previously seen 
any hawk in pursuit of its prey at 
COOPER'S HAWK. such close quarters, and I watched 
the chase for a moment before mak- 
ing any move in the matter. The Towhee continued his screams 
and the Hawk kept up the chase ; both, seemingly flying at a tre- 
mendous pace, the Cooper looking extra long and thin as he 
stretched out in pursuit of his quarry. What the result would 
have been I cannot tell as a shot from my gun at the Hawk(which 
I missed) stopped the race. In this case the shadow was rather 
deep in the woods and I did not have as clear a view as on subse- 
quent occasions but the idea given me by what I did see was that 
both birds were flying very fast and that the Hawk was gaining. 
Chase No. 2 was after a Bob-white. I was returning from 
hunting one morning, following a wagon road through the woods, 
