1902.
May 11
(No 2)
  At the farm early this afternoon the male Phoebee was
perched near the end of a low drooping branch of the big
elm while his mate was sitting on the nest under the eaves
not twenty feet away. Harold Bowditch and I were standing
about thirty feet from the male bird watching John T. Nichols
who had crept to within eight feet of it behind the trunk
of the tree and was getting his camera ready for a snap
exposure. Had he been a few seconds sooner he might have
secured a most interesting picture for a bird which we took
at first for a Robin but which proved to be a male Pigeon Hawk
suddenly appeared from we hardly knew wither and with
the speed of an arrow glided on set wings, on a slightly
declining plane, directly at the Phoebee. That trustful
little bird, swaying at ease on his slender perch, seemed so
wholly unconscious of his fearful peril that we all thought
him lost but when the Falcon was within a foot of
him he did the only thing that could possibly have saved
him air dropped like a ripe fruit nearly to the ground
and then started directly for the barn cellar. The Hawk
overshot him scarce more than four feet & stopping &
turning short about with truly marvellous quickness
followed & overtook him before he had gone three yards
but the Phoebee doubled short & abruptly and the
little Falcon apparently disgusted at his ill success
darted off down the hillside towards the east ward
giving us a fine view of his ashy-blue back.
Only a few minutes later the Phoebee was back
on the same perch again. The whole episode was
most impressive happening, as it did, at what might
be called the very threshold of the Phoebee's house
and during a rarely beautiful & perfect May afternoon.
72