
324 THE RED-TAILED HAWK. 
descending rapidly, uttering a clear shrill cry of kae, kae, 
kae, several times, and often continuing it some minutes. 
These gyrations occur more commonly in the spring; per- 
haps it is a nuptial ceremony, or a bridal pilgrimage. This 
bird does not always live in that domestic peace and har- 
mony after rearing its young as is proverbially true of birds 
of prey, often fighting over some game that it would most 
faithfully toil to procure for its eompanion and little ones 
during breeding season. An amusing instance of this kind 
occurred to my knowledge. One of these birds caught a 
snake and flew high into the air; its mate followed and tried 
to force its companion to give up the coveted morsel. For 
a time I did not know but that they would have to settle it 
as did the two snakes, each of which had hold of a leg of — 
the same toad, and neither being willing to lose its antici- 
_ pated dainty repast, the largest snake not only swallowed 
the toad but also the smaller snake attached to his portion. 
(Query — Which got the toad?) 
In their bill of fare snakes form quite an item in the 
spring and summer months, but in the winter months the 
wild game of our woods and the poultry-yard, satisfy 
the cravings of hunger. It is from the fact of its making 
such frequent inroads among our domestic fowls that it de- 
rives the name of hen-hawk. When capturing snakes they 
sometimes " wake up the wrong passenger." A farmer living 
in this vicinity, while putting up a fence around his pasture, 
noticed a large hawk on the ground some forty rods from 
him, sometimes rising up two or three feet, then dropping 
down. Supposing him to be devouring some game he paid 
but little attention to it at first, but fen its continuing in 
the same place, and keeping up the same manceuvring for a 
long time, his euriosity was excited, and coming near the 
. bird he discovered that the tail of a large black snake was 
coiled around the hawk's neck, and that the head and a 
uS - aa of its body was in a hole in the ground; the hawk 
TT MM exhausted. With a blow of his axe the farmer 
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