44 THE HAWKS AND OWLS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



poultry would be a very serious matter. Its large size and greater 

 strength enable it to carry off heavier quarry than Cooper's Hawk, 

 and consequently its powers for mischief are more to be dreaded by the 

 poultrymen. Mr. L. M. Turner states that in Alaska the lemming forms 

 a consideral part of its food. 



This species is one of the most daring of all the Hawks, and while in 

 pursuit of its prey is apparently less concerned by the presence of 

 man than any other. It will dart down unexpectedly at the very feet 

 of the farmer and carry off a fowl. The following from the pen of the 

 late Dr. William Wood gives evidence of its boldness : 



"The goshawk is the most dariug and venturesome of any of our 

 diurnal birds of prey. A farmer who resides a few miles from my office, 

 wishing to perpetuate the old New England custom of having a chicken 

 pie for Thanksgiving dinner, caught some fowls, took them to a log, 

 severed the neck of one, and threw it down beside him. In an instant 

 a goshawk seized the struggling fowl, and, flying off some ten rods, 

 alighted and commenced devouring his prey. The boldness of the attack 

 so astonished the farmer that he looked on with blank amazement. 

 Eecovering from his surprise, he hastened into the house and brought 

 out his gun, which secured him both the hawk and the fowl. Another 

 instance of still greater daring occurred near East Windsor Hill, Oon- 

 nectcut. A goshawk flew after a fowl near a dwelling house; the door 

 being open, the hen flew inside; the hawk followed, and seized her in the 

 room occupied by an old gentleman and his daughter. The old man 

 hastened to the rescue, and struck the hawk with a cane before it re- 

 leased its grasp. The daughter caught the hawk as it attempted to 

 fly out of the door, and killed it." (Amer. Nat., vol. x, 1876, p. 134). 



Capt. Charles E. Bendire informed the writer that at Fort Klamath, 

 Oregon, he once shot at a Goshawk and slightly wounded it with flue 

 shot, and in the course of a few minutes it returned and attacked a 

 chicken. Numerous cases are on record where it has flown through 

 windows to attack canaries or other cage birds. 



In the general character of its flight, as well as the mode of hunting 

 and capturing its prey, it closely resembles Cooper's Hawk, though it 

 frequents the thick woods rather more than the latter bird. In the 

 fall this Hawk is common along the smaller water courses where it is 

 very destructive to wild ducks and other water fowl, and is able to strike 

 down a bird as large as a full-grown mallard. If its prey is a bird of 

 this size it rarely eats more than the flesh from the breast, leaving the 

 rest of the carcass untouched. Scorning to feed upon carrion, another 

 victim is secured when hunger returns. 



Of the upland game birds the ptarmigan in the North and the ruffed 

 grouse in the middle districts suffer severely from the attacks of this 

 powerful Hawk. Dr. William H. Dall, who found it common in the valley 

 of the Yukon Eiver, states that it feeds largely on the white ptarmigan, 

 the flocks of which it follows from place to place. E. W. Nelson and 



