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BLACK-SHOULDERED HAWK. 
FALCO DISPAR, TEMM. 
PLATE CCCLI. Mate anp FEMate. 
I nave traced the migration of this beautiful Hawk from the Texas 
as far east as the mouth of the Santee River in South Carolina. 
Cuar_es Bonaparte first introduced it into our Fauna, on the autho- 
rity of a specimen procured in Kast Florida, by Titian Prats, Esq. 
of Philadelphia, who it seems had some difficulty in obtaining it. On 
the 8th of February 1834 I received one of these birds alive from Dr 
RaveENEL of Charleston, who had kept it in his yard for eight days 
previously, without being able to induce it to take any food. ‘The 
beauty of its large eyes struck me at once, and I immediately made 
a drawing of the bird, which was the first I had ever seen alive. 
It proved to be a male, and was in beautiful plumage. Dr RaveNneL 
told me that it walked about his yard with tolerable ease, although 
one of its wings had been injured. On the 23d of the same month I 
received another fine specimen, a female, from Francis Les, Esq., 
who had procured it on his plantation, forty miles west of Charleston, 
and with it the following note. ‘ When first observed, it was perched 
on atree in an erect posture. I saw at once that it was one of the birds 
which you had desired me to procure for you, and went to the house 
for my gun. On returning I saw the Hawk very high in the air, 
sailing beautifully over a large wet meadow, where many Common 
Snipes were feeding. It would now and then poise itself for a while, 
in the manner of our Little Sparrow Hawk, and suddenly closing its 
wings plunge towards its prey with great velocity, making a rumbling 
noise as it passed through the air. Now and then, when about half- 
way, itsuddenly checked its descent, recommenced hovering, and at last 
marking its prey, rushed upon it and secured it. Its cries, on being 
wounded, so much resembled those of the Mississippi Kite, that I 
thought, as I was going to pick it up, that I had only got one of that 
species. It was so shy that I was obliged to get on horseback before 
I could approach it within gun shot.” 
Mr H. Warp, who accompanied me on my expedition to the Floridas 
