266 RED-TAILED HAWK. 



the tail, and aftfer spending a few minutes in pluming himself, leaves the 

 perch, uttering Ms usual cry, and ascending in the air, performs large and 

 repeated circular flights, carefully inspecting the field, to assure himself 

 that there is in reality nothing in it that may be of use to him. He then 

 proceeds to another plantation. At other times, as if not assured that 

 his observations have been duly made, he rises in circles over the same 

 field to an immense height, where he looks like a white dot in the 

 heavens. Yet from this height he must be able to distinguish the objects 

 on the ground, even when these do not exceed our little partridge or a 

 young hare in size, and although their colour may be almost the same as 

 that of surrounding bodies ; for of a sudden his circlings are checked, his 

 wings drawn close to his body, his tail contracted to its smallest breadth, 

 and he is seen to plunge headlong towards the earth, with a rapidity 

 which produces a loud rustling sound nearly equal to that of an Eagle 

 on a similar occasion. 



Should he not succeed in discovering the desired object in the fields, 

 he enters the forest and perches on some detached tree, tall enough to 

 enable him to see to a great distance around. His posture is now erect, 

 he remains still and silent, moving only his head, as on all other oc- 

 casions, to enable his keen eye to note the occurrences which may take 

 place in his vicinity. The lively Squirrel is seen gaily leaping from one 

 branch to another, or busily employed in searching for the fallen nuts on 

 the ground. It has found one. Its bushy tail is beautifully curved 

 along its back, the end of it falling off with a semicircular bend ; its 

 nimble feet are seen turning the nut quickly round, and its teeth are al- 

 ready engaged in perforating the hard shell ; Avhen, quick as thought, 

 the Red-tailed Hawk, which has been watching it in all its motions, falls 

 upon it, seizes it near the head, transfixes and strangles it, devours it on 

 the spot, or ascends exultingly to a branch with the yet palpitating vic- 

 tim in his talons, and there feasts at leisure. 



As soon as the little King-bird has raised its brood, and when its cour- 

 age is no longer put in requisition for the defence of its young or its 

 mate, the Red-tailed Hawk visits the farm-houses, to pay his regards to 

 the poultry. This is done without much precaution, for, while sailing 

 over the yard where the chickens, the ducklings, and the young turkeys 

 are, the Hawk plunges upon any one of them, and sweeps it ofi^ to the 

 nearest wood. When impelled by continued hunger, he now and then 

 manages to elude the vigilance of the Martins, Swallows and King-birds, 



