1902
May 29
(No. 5)
  I have frequently heard that the Carolina Dove
is addicted, during its breeding season, to soaring like
a Hawk and, if I remember rightly, Chapman mentions
the habit in one of his books but it has never come
under my personal observation until this afternoon
when Mr Thayer and I witnessed it under the most
favorable conditions possible. We had just started 
the eighteen birds above mentioned and they had
flown out of sight in different directions when
Mr. Harriman who was with us exclaimed "see that
Hawk!" Looking up we saw what we all took
at first to be a male Sharp-shinned Hawk passing
overhead at a height of perhaps 200 feet. Flapping
its wings quickly a few times and then soaring for
several rods on set wings, repeating the alternate flapping
and gliding at short, regular intervals it had nearly
crossed the field in the direction of the woods before
we began to suspect the truth, which was, of course, 
that the bird was not a Hawk but a Dove.
On reaching the woods it resumed its normal flight
and we heard its wings whistle distinctly as it
disappeared among the trees. A moment later it
reappeared and mounting to a height of fully 300 feet
came back over the field alternately flapping and
gliding as before. During these Hawk-like flights
its wings emitted no sound. Nor did the bird once
soar in circles although on one occasion it turned
slightly to the right and then rather abruptly
upward before beginning to flap again. It was
the only Dove in sight at the time & after the
second crossing of the field it flew steadily off towards the
south-west.
Carolina Dove flying in the manner of a Sharp-shinned Hawk
115