Concord, Mass.
1900.
May 9
(No 3)
  In the late afternoon I visited Holden's Hill.
The tall oaks and chestnuts which cover this sandy ridge
were swarming with Warblers most of which appeared to
be Yellow-rumps, Chestnut-sides, Black & White Creepers
and Redstarts with a goodly sprinkling of Usnea and
Nashville Warblers.
  There were also great numbers of Swallows and
Swifts darting to & fro just above the tops of the trees.
  As I was idly watching these a Pigeon Hawk
suddenly appeared in their midst. Singling out
a bird that was moving rather slowly the Falcon
overtook it in an instant and rising slightly above
it dropped one foot and sized it without the
slightest apparent effort. The affair was so unexpected
and so quickly ended that my impressions of it are
less vivid & precise than could be wished. I doubt
if more than two or three seconds elapsed between the
moment when I first noticed the Hawk and that
when it struck its prey. The latter appeared to be
either taken by surprise or stupefied by fear for it
neither increased its pace nor resorted to that ex
which so often saves the smaller birds from the attacks
of Hawks viz dodging. Having secured it the Falcon
made off very swiftly through the tree tops but
presently circled back and alighted among the upper,
leafless branches of a large chestnut which grew stood on
the hillside above & about fifty yards from where
I was standing. During this flight the Hawk
was closely pursued by a Barn Swallow who kept
uttering the loud alarm note of its kind. This
fact together with the length & shape of one of the
Pigeon Hawk
catches &
devours a 
Barn Swallow.
62