422 \ BIRDS — FALCONIDJE. 



same individual is to be found at the same locality, at the same hour, 

 day after day. 



The two birds of this genus are perhaps the boldest depredators of the 

 family. They do not hesitate to attack chickens in the presence of their 

 owners and frequently continue their visits until they have exterminated 

 the young broods, often, however, paying for their audacity with their 

 life. At the same time they feed largely upon small quadrupeds, snakes 

 and other reptiles, and are very destructive to game. 



The nest of Cooper's Hawk is built in trees, ^'he eggs, from three to 

 five in number, are white, sometimes blotched with yellowish-browp. 

 They measure 1.94 by 1.56. 



Gbnus AST UK. Lacepede. 



Size large ; tarsi feathered half vray to the toes in ftont ; other characters sanch like 

 Accipiter. 



ASTUR ATEICAPILLtJS (Wils.) Bp. 



Falco palumlariuSfKiJiTLATHii, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 161, 178. 



Astur alrieapillus, Kirkpatbick, Ohio Farmer, yii, 1858, 139; Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1858, 349. 



Bbewbr, N. a. Oology, Smithsonian Contributions, ix, 1859, 17, 18, 131, pi. 5, 



(error); American Naturalist, i, 1868, 121 (correction). — Wheaton, Ohio Agric. Kep. 



for 1860, 560 ; Eeprint, 1861, 2 ; Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 570 ; 



Repritt, 1875, 10.— CouBS, Birds of N. W., 1874, 339— Langdon, Cat. Birds of Cin., 



1872,12; 121. 

 Astur palumbarius, var. atricapillus, Langdon, Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soo. Nat. Hist., i, 



1879, 180 ; Reprint, 14. 



Faloo atrioapillus, Wilson, Am. Orn , vi, 1812, 80. 



Aatur atricapillus, Jardine and Sblby, Illust., 1825. 



Falco palumbarius, Bonapartb, Syn., 1828, 28. 



Astur palunibarius, var, atricapillus, Eidgwat, Proo. Bost. Soo., xvi, 1874, 571. 



Adult dark bluish-slate blackening on the head, with a white superciliary stripe ; tail 

 with four broad dark bars; below closely barred with white and pale-slate, and sharply 

 streaked with blackish. Yonng dark- brown above, the feathers with pale edges, streaked 

 with tawny-brown on the head and cervix ; below ftilvous-white with oblong brown 

 markings. Female, 2 feet long ; wing, 14 inches ; tail, 11 ; male smaller. 



Habitat, British America, and the Northern half of the United States — the latter 

 chiefly in winter ; farthest south along the Rooky Mountains and Sierra Nevada. 



Rare winter visitor. This large and handsome Hawk, which is now 

 known to breed from Northern New England northward, sometimes 

 appears in considerable numbers in winter both northeast and west of 

 us. In this State, however, no record of such appearance is known to 

 me, only a few individuals being noted. 



