BIRDS OF PREY 159 



have had Duck Hawks dart down to rob me of wounded 

 snipe lying almost at my feet, nor did my ineffectual 

 shots prevent them from returning," 



There is little to be said in favor of this relentless 

 persecutor of water-fowl, shore birds, and song birds. 

 Solitary in habit except at the breeding season, it fears 

 no bird of its kind except the marsh hawk and the prairie 

 falcon. These two wage unceasing warfare on it when 

 it becomes conspicuous about their hunting grounds, 

 which it never does willingly. Its nest isdfiade on an 

 inaccessible cliff, or in a high tree away from all its kind. 

 From the hour they emerge from the shell, the young are 

 taught to devour anything in feathers brought to them ; 

 and when they hunt for themselves, feathered game is the 

 only food they know. When the first wave of migration 

 starts southward in the fall, the Duck Hawks are close 

 behind, easily overtaking any stragglers or weak ones, 

 and, if necessary, pursuing the swift, strong fliers of 

 twice their size and weight. So every flock of coastwise 

 migrating birds, particularly those classed as water-fowl, 

 has one or more of these fierce birds of prey in its wake, 

 and its numbers are constantly decimated to furnish food 

 for its pursuers. 



357. PIGEON HAWK. — Falco columbarius. 



Family : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc. 



Length: Male 10.00-11.00 ; female 12.50-13.25. 



Adult Male: Upper pavts slate-color, streaked with black; wing-quills 

 black, inner web spotted ; under parts and hind-neck huffy, nearly 

 white on throat ; streaked on breast, sides, and belly with dark ; 

 middle tail-feathers barred with blackish and light gray. 



