in the forenoon.
  Just after lunch 2 Duck Hawks, an ad. [adult] [female] and
a young [male], after flying around the ship for
some time, alighted in our rigging one on a
yard the other on a wire brace. They
remained here the entire afternoon paying no
attention to the various smaller birds which were flying about the
decks and rigging. Of the latter I saw
[illegible] Junco, Red-eyed Vireo, Redstart, Palm
Warbler (palmarum virens) and Kingfisher. All
except the last alighted. There were also
two Pigeon Hawks flying about near us
The [female] Duck Hawk after standing erect
for a while near the end of the year walked
slowly and unsteadily (like a hen with
frozen feet) in towards the mast until
reaching a place where a mass of
furled sail made a broad flat-topped
bed[.] she lay down, at first keeping
her head raised but finally lowering
it and evidently going to sleep.
All the small birds left the steamer,
left one after another as soon
as in sight of land but the
Duck Hawks remained quietly on
their respective perches until sunset
when the [male] joined the [female] on the
furled sail and lay quietly down
by her side. When we reached
Boston Light and came to anchor
the ship blew off steam for several
minutes but although the noise was
deafening & the steam shot up in
a dense cloud directly through the
rigging where the Falcons lay neither
bird moved. Nor did four rockets
which were sent up past them
appear to alarm them in the
least.
  A deck hand told us that as
soon as it became dark he would
climb the rigging and catch these Falcons
for me asserting that he had frequently
taken Hawks of various kinds in
this way to sell to the Boston
taxidermists. I offered him a good
price but next morning he reported