no Handbook of Nature-Sttuiy 



focus of the eyes changes automatically with great rapidity, so that 

 by the time they reach the earth they are near-sighted, a feat quite im- 

 possible for our eyes unless aided by glasses or telescope. 



These so-called hen hawks will often sit motionless, for hours at a 

 time, on some dead branch or dead tree; they are probably watching for 

 something eatable to stir within the range of their keen vision. When 

 seizing its prey, a hawk uses its strong feet and sharp, curved 

 talons. All hawks keep their claws sharp and poUshed, even as 

 the warrior keeps his sword bright, so as to be ready for use; 

 the legs are covered by a growth of feathers extending down from above, 

 looking like feather trousers. The beak is hooked and very sharp and is 

 used for tearing apart the flesh of the quarry. When a hawk fights some 

 larger animal or man, it throws itself over upon its back and strikes its 

 assailant with its strong claws as well as with its beak; but the talons are 

 its chief weapons. 



Both species build a large, shallow nest of coarse sticks and grass, 

 lined with moss, feathers, etc.; it is a rude, rough structure, and is placed 

 in tall trees from fifty to seventy-five feet from the ground. Only two to 

 four eggs are laid; these are whitish spotted with brown. These hawks 

 are said to remain mated for life and are devoted to each other and their 

 young. Hawks and eagles are very similar in form and habits, and if the 

 eagle is a noble bird so is the hawk. 



LESSON XXVI 

 The Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks 



Leading thought — Ignorant people consider all hawks dangerous 

 neighbors because they are supposed to feed exclusively on poultry. 

 This idea is false and we should study carefully the habits of hawks before 

 we shoot them. The ordinary large reddish "hen-hawks," which circle 

 high above meadows, are doing great good to the farmer by feeding upon 

 the mice and other creatures which steal his grain and girdle his trees. 



Methods — Begin by observations on the flight of one of these hawks 

 and supplement this with such observations as the pupils are able to 

 make, or facts which they can discover by talking with hunters or others 

 and b}- reading. 



Observations — i. How can you tell a hawk, when flying, from a crow 

 or other large bird? Describe how it soars? Does it move off in any 

 direction; if so, does it move off in circles? How often does it make 

 strokes with its wings ? Does it rise when it is facing the wind and fall as 

 it turns its back to the wind? 



2. Have you seen a hawk flap its wings many times and then soar 

 for a time? If so, what hawk do you think it was? How does it differ 

 in habits from the "hen-hawks?" 



3. Have you noticed a hawk when soaring drop suddenly to earth? 

 If so, why did it do this? 



4. How does a hawk hunt? How can it see a mouse in a meadow 

 when it is so high in the air that it looks like a circling speck in the sky? 

 If it is so far-sighted as this, how can it be near-sighted enough to catch 

 the mouse when it is close to it? Would you not have to use field glasses 

 or telescope to do this ? 



