cooper's hawk. 421 



the ground. By some means the attack was only partly successful, and 

 the Lark hopped about for a few moments with the Hawk upon his 

 back. The ridiculousness of his position seemed to disconcert the Hawk, 

 who relaxed his grip, only to find himself attacked by bill and claws of 

 his victim. Then followed a fierce fight with claws, bills and wings, in 

 which both contestants appeared equally active and determined. Finally 

 the combatants separated, the Hawk fiying in one direction disappointed, 

 dejected and disgusted, the Lark in another, recovering his breath by 

 extraordinary cries of p,larm and distress. 



The nest of the Sharp shinned Hawk is usually placed in trees, some- 

 times on rocks. The eggs are white, variously shaded, thickly marked 

 with different shades of brown. They measure about 1.45 by 1.15. 



ACCIPITER COOPERI Bp. 



Cooper's Ha-wli ; Cliickeii Ha^vk. 



Faloo cooperi, Kirtland, Ohio Geolog. Snrv , 1838, 164, 179. 



Asiur cooperi, Bead, Fam. Visitor, iii, 1852, 220 ; Proo. Phila. Acad. Nat. Soi., vi, 1853, 



395. 

 Accipiter cooperi, Kirkpateick, Ohio Farmer, viii, 1858, 147; Ohio Agrio. Eep. for 1858, 



315. — Bbewbr, N. a. Oology, SmlthBonian Contributions, xi, 18.59, 20. — Wheaton, 



Ohio Agrio. Eep. for 1860, 360; Reprint, 1861, 2; Food of Birds, et«., Ohio Agrio. 



Rep. for 1874, 570; Reprint, 1875, 10.— Langdqn, Cat. Birds of Cin,, 1877, 12. 

 Nisue cooperi, Baird, Brkwkr, and Ridgway, iii, 1674, 233 — Langdon, Revised List, 



Journ. Cin. Soo. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 180; Reprint 14; Summer Birds, lb, iii, 1880, 



225. ■ 

 Cooper's Hawk, Kirtland, Fam. Visitor, 1, 1850, 1. 



Falco cooperi, Bonaparte, Am. Orp., ii, 1828, 1. 



Accipiter cooperi, Gray, List B. Br. Mns. ii, 38. 



Msu8 cooperi, Ridgway, Proo. Bost. Soc, xvi, 1873, 59. 



Feet moderately stout ; bare portion of tarsus shorter than middle toe ; soutellse re- 

 maining distinct ; tail a little rounded. Colors and their changes as in A. fiiscue ; larger, 

 male, 16-18; wing, 9-10; tail, 7-8; female, 18-20; wing, 10-11; tail, 8-9. Whole foot 

 4 or more. 



Habitat, Temperate North America and southward. 



Very common resident in Southern and Middle, more rare in Northern 

 Ohio. Breeds. Dr. Kirtland; 1850, mentions it as breeding abund- 

 antly in former years. Neither Mr. Read nor Mr. Kirkpatrick indicate 

 that they were personally acquainted with it. Mr. Langdon gives it 

 as a rather common summer resident in the vicinity of Cincinnati. In 

 this vicinity it is one of the most abundant Hawks, especially in 

 winter, when it approaches human habitations, and road sides. It is 

 extremely methodical and regular in its habits at this season, and the 



