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GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 



nised, not a duck is to be seen in the air : they all speed to the 

 water, and there remain until the Hawk has passed them, diving 

 the moment he comes near them. It is worthy of remark that 

 he will seldom, if ever, strike over the water, unless it be frozen; 

 well knowing that it will be difficult to secure his quarry. This 

 is something more than instinct. 



When the sportsmen perceive the Hawk knock down a duck, 

 they frequently disappoint him of it, by being first to secure it. 

 And as one evil turn, according to the maxim of the multitude, 

 deserves another, our hero takes ample revenge on them, at every 

 opportunity, by robbing them of their game, the hard-earned fruits 

 of their labor. 



The Duck Hawk, it is said, often follows the steps of the 

 gunner, knowing that the ducks will be aroused on the wing, 

 which will afford it an almost certain chance of success. 



We have been informed that those ducks which are struck 

 down, have their backs lacerated from the rump to the neck. If 

 this be the fact, it is a proof that the Hawk employs only its ta- 

 lons, which are long and stout, in the operation. One respecta- 

 ble inhabitant of Cape May told us, that he has seen the Hawk 

 strike from below. 



This species has been long known in Europe ; and in the 

 * age of Falconry, was greatly valued for those qualifications which 

 rendered it estimable to the lovers and followers of that princely 

 amusement. But we have strong objections to its specific appel- 

 lation. The epithet peregrine is certainly not applicable to our 

 Hawk, which is not migratory, as far as our most diligent inqui- 

 ries can ascertain; and as additional evidence of the fact, we our- 

 selves have seen it prowling near the coast of Newjersey in the 

 month of May, and heard its screams, which resemble some- 

 what those of the Bald Eagle, in the swamps wherein it is said to 

 breed. We have therefore taken the liberty of changing its Eng- 

 lish name for one which will at once express a characteristic de- 



