Hawks BIRDS OF PREY. 



season in a strip of woods near Ciecos Brook, but the old 

 males are very "wary, and seem to disappear soon after the 

 breeding-season. 



Sharp-shinned Hawk: Accipiter velox. 



Plate 56. 



Length : 12 inches ; female 14 inches. 



Male and Female: Wings longer than tail. Eyes reddish. Above 

 bluish gray, deepest on head. Beneath whitish, barred on the 

 sides and breast with rusty and dark brown. Tail even or 

 notched. The young are spotted more or less on the back and 

 streaked below. Head of this and next species smaller than 

 last, while legs and tail are relatively longer. Feet slender. 



Season : A common resident ; coming about farms and even city 

 parks in the winter. 



Breeds : Through its range ; in May. 



Nest : Occasionally on a rocky ledge, but usually in some thick ever- 

 green at a moderate height from the ground ; a bulky platform 

 of sticks with an upper story of bark, leaves, and moss. 



Eggs : 4-5, purplish white, spattered heavily with dark brown; some- 

 times the spots form a wreath at the large end. 



Bange : North America in general ; south to Panama. 



This small and very common Hawk is possessed by a 

 spirit of dash and daring altogether out of proportion to its 

 size. Dr. Abbott, in speaking of the rapidity of its move- 

 ments, says: "It is feathered lightning. He ceases to be 

 before you realize that he is." 



The Sharp-shinned is one of the most destructive of our 

 common Hawks and shares, with the next species, the repu- 

 tation of being an inveterate poultry-killer, and it causes 

 such sad havoc among Song-birds that a black mark may 

 be set against it to denote that it is a worthy target for rifle 

 practice. Its dexterity in flying allows it to capture by 

 surprise game which larger Hawks secure by weight and 

 strength combined. Nuttall tells of a Hawk of this species 

 that came day after day to a farmhouse, until before it was 

 killed it had destroyed between twenty and thirty young 

 chickens. 



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