Wayne: Birds of South Carolina. 77 



old bird mated and breeding with a young one as Audubon de- 

 scribes. 1 



The Bald Eagle feeds chiefly upon fish and ducks during the 

 breeding season, and a visit to one of its nests will reveal the pre- 

 sence of the heads of many catfish on the ground at the foot of 

 the tree. It is believed that the eagles do not capture these 

 catfish alive, but merely seize the carcass, while it is floating 

 upon the water, after it has been deprived of part of its body 

 (behind the centre fin) by larger fish. This theory is based upon 

 the fact that the catfish resorts to deep water during the winter 

 months, and that the Fish Hawk, from which the eagle might 

 secure these fish, is not present at that season. This species 

 sometimes uses its deserted nests as store-houses for the game 

 it catches. 



FAMILY FALCONIDiE: FALCONS. 



143. Falco peregrinus anatum (Bonap.). Duck Hawk. 



This species is the celebrated Peregrine Falcon of falconry . Dur- 

 ing the past ten years it has steadily diminished in numbers and 

 it is now rare to see more than three or four individuals in the 

 course of a winter. I have shot but one in all these years and 

 that one, which was a very fine adult female, was taken on De- 

 cember 24, 1885. It was shot from the top of a very tall dead 

 pine, and it shrieked as I shot it, holding on to the tree by 

 its talons until life was extinct. This specimen is now in the 

 collection of my friend, Mr. William Brewster. 



The Duck Hawk arrives the latter part of September, and, as 

 the species is now very rare along the coast, I will mention a few 

 dates upon which I have observed it, namely — January 16, 1891; 

 December 26, 1893; February 18, 1896; March 7, 1896; October 

 10, 1896; October 8, 1897; October 11, 1898; and February 11, 

 1903. On the last date I observed a pair which flew over the 

 ocean and apparently alighted on a sand bank about two miles 

 out from a coast island. I know of no bird which flies as fast 

 as the Duck Hawk when in pursuit of prey, but it does not often 

 catch Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata). I once saw a Duck 

 Hawk chase one of these snipe for several minutes very high in 

 the air, but, although the bird was pressed very closely, it eluded 

 the falcon and escaped. 



1 Birds of America, I, 62. 



