The Pigeon Hawks 



knowledge of the bird in California is confined to a few skins in cabinets; 

 while tradition itself is concerned chiefly with disconnected records, or 

 with anecdotes of behavior under gun-fire, nature of quarry, etc. There 

 are a few baffling records of the bird's appearance in late spring or late 

 summer, but there is only one serious claim of a California nesting record, 

 that made by H. R. Taylor, the immortal "Harry," who, according to 

 Stephens (MS), took a set of eggs on the 6th of April, 1888, from a ledge 

 nest on a steep bluff in Santa Clara County. The center of the bird's 

 distribution in midwinter is in the chaparral-covered foothills of southern 

 California. 



If a scrutiny, therefore, of all little hawks is maintained throughout 

 the year, and with special diligence in winter and early spring, the search 

 will be rewarded now and then by the sight of a bird whose movement 

 is a little more rapid and dashing than that of the ubiquitous Kestrel. 

 The wings seem to reach forward with a stroke like that of a strong swim- 

 mer; and, altogether, there is an air of indefinable quality and power about 

 the diminutive Pigeon Hawk which does not pertain to his less spirited 

 cousin. Not content with the humble quarry which usually satisfies the 

 commoner species, this little winged terror makes havoc among the Black- 

 birds, Meadowlarks, and smaller songsters. Himself not larger than a 

 full-sized pigeon, the Hawk sometimes pursues a Mourning Dove with 

 relentless fury, and easily overtakes this fleet bird, unless it finds cover 

 or the protection of man. The audacious creature has even been credited 

 with killing Ptarmigan, and it sometimes attacks sea-fowl of thrice its 

 weight, through sheer exuberance of spirits. 



Now and then, also, one comes upon the Pigeon Hawk seated at 

 rather close quarters; for it is less suspicious than most, and it hails from 

 northern wilds or mountain fastnesses which do not know the fear of man. 

 At such a time one is struck by the quaint, almost antique, appearance 

 of the tawny breast with its heavy umber streaks; and the glaucous bloom 

 of the upperparts might have come from milady's cheek when she went 

 hawking, centuries ago. In the hand, the round white spots, which 

 sprinkle the feathers lining the bird's wings, make it seem still more like 

 a product of curious mediseval art. 



"Although the well known Pigeon Hawk is pretty generally dis- 

 tributed over the entire United States during the fall and winter seasons, 

 by far the greater number breed north of our border, and comparatively 

 few remain as summer residents, at least east of the Mississippi River, 

 and those that do generally confine themselves to the mountain districts 

 and to the thinly settled and heavily wooded regions along our Northern 

 States. In the Rocky Mountains, as well as in the Sierra Nevada and 

 Cascade Ranges, and their spurs, the Pigeon Hawk is probably quite a 



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