RED-TAILED HAWK. 267 



and watching for a good opportunity, falls upon and seizes an old fowl, 

 the dying screams of which are heard by the farmer at the plough, who 

 swears vengeance against the robber. He remembers that he has ob- 

 served the Hawk's nest in the woods, and fuU of anger at the recollection 

 of the depredations which the plunderer has already committed, and at 

 the anticipation of its many visits during the winter, leaves his work and 

 his horses, strides to his house, and with an axe and a rifle in his hands 

 proceeds towards the tree, where the hopes of the Red-tailed Hawk are 

 snugly nestled among, the tall branches. The farmer arrives, eyes the 

 gigantic tree, thinks for a moment of the labour which will be required 

 for felling it, but resolves that he shall not be overreached by a Hawk. 

 He throws aside his hat, roUs up his sleeves, and appHes himself to the 

 work. His brawny arms give such an impulse to the axe, that at every 

 stroke large chips are seen to fall off" on all sides. The poor mother-bird, 

 well aware of the result, sails sorrowfully over and around. She would 

 fain beg for mercy towards her young. She ahghts on the edge of the 

 nest, and would urge her offspring to take flight. But the farmer has 

 watched her motions. The axe is left sticking in the core of the tree, his 

 rifle is raised to his shoulder in an instant, and the next moment the whiz- 

 zing ball has pierced the heart of the Red-tailed Hawk, which falls un- 

 heeded to the earth. The farmer renews his work, and now changes sides. 

 A whole hour has been spent in the application of ceaseless blows. He 

 begins to look upwards, to judge which way the giant of the forest will 

 fall, and having ascertained this, he redoubles his blows. The huge oak 

 begins to tremble. Were it permitted to speak, it might ask why it should 

 suffer for the deeds of another ; but it is now seen slowly to inchne, and 

 soon after with an awful rustling produced by all its broad arms, its 

 branches, twigs and leaves, passing like lightning through the air, the 

 noble tree falls to the earth, and almost causes it to shake. The work 

 of revenge is now accomplished : the farmer seizes the younglings, and 

 carries them home, to be tormented by his children, until death termi- 

 nates their brief career. 



Notwithstanding the very common occurrence of such acts of retribu- 

 tion between man and the Hawk, it would be difficult to visit a planta- 

 tion in the State of Louisiana, without observing at least a pair of this 

 species hovering about, more especially during the winter months. 

 Early in February, they begin to build their nest, which is usually 

 placed within the forest, and on the tallest and largest tree in the neigh- 



