Concord, Mass.
1900.
May 9
(No 4)
wings of the captured bird which hung loosely down
as the Hawk bore it off led me to conclude that
the poor victim was also a Barn Swallow although
when the Hawk caught it I took it to be a 
Swift.
Pigeon Hawk
catches & devours
a Barn Swallow
  After alighting in the chesnut the Falcon sat
quietly on its perch for several minutes looking about
rather listlessly & preening its feathers. I had an
excellent view of it and with the aid of my glass could see
distinctly that it was a female in full plumage. Presently it began to
pluck its prey and after the removal of a few mouthfulls  of feather
to tear out and swallow shreds & morsals  of flesh. Alternatively
plucking and eating it worked busily - indeed almost unceasingly - for
just twenty minutes standing all the while on a stout horizontal
branch holding the Swallow under one foot with the other leg drawn
up among the feathers of the belly and the foot just showing.
At the end of the time just mentioned nothing apparently remained
of the Swallow save a wad of bones & feathers scarce larger 
than a hickory nut. I saw this shapeless object in the Falcon's
grasp just before the bird spread its wings at the termination
of its repast (or rather a minute or two later) to dart away
over the tree tops with headlong speed but I did not see it
dropped nor could I find either it or any other remains
of the Swallow on the ground under the tree.
  While the Falcon was devouring its prey it evidently kept one
eye on me for whenever I changed my position or even
moved slightly it would stop feeding and watch me intently
for a minute or two before resuming its meal.
63 X