Elorida, 
Canaveral, Banana Creek 
^9-coC../ 44 uv^ 
/ 
189 0 
Mar7-I5 
Common, from one to four or five individuals being seen daily. 
These were invariably flying and generally scaling swiftly along 
close to the water, following the course of the bays or creeks. On 
the 7th as our boat was making its way up Banana Creek we came to a 
an enormous bed of Soots, which as usual took wing,- each ris- 
ing independently- and flying above ;is in every direction and so 
thickly that the air was simply filled with them. While sitting 
in the bovir of the boat watching them I suddenly saw one fall ver- 
tically as if shot. It struck the water with a heavy splash and 
for a minute lay on its back with its feet kicking j then ; turning 
tight side up, it began to swim ab out ^s®peedily and as the boat 
approached attempted to take wing but was unable to clear the 
water. While wondering if this accident could have been caused 
by the bird*s striking its wings against those of another and thus 
breaking), them, I saw a second Coot begin to descend in a similar 
manner, but this bird was in the clutches of a Duck Hawk , which, 
after falling to withirn eight, o* ten feet of the water, let go 
its hold. Th«4 Coot , like the struck on its back and for a 
minute or two seemed to be dead, but when our boat was within a 
few yards of it, it turned over, swam a little way, and then took 
flight, apparently as well as ever. Whether our approach-- we 
were wi thin about fifty yards of the second ®hot when it fell 
caused the Duck Hawk to loose its hold, or whether it was simply 
catching and pinching these Coots in sport, I was unable to decide. 
During our stay, we saw injured Coots daily, wliThh very likely had 
been caught and released by these Hawks. On three occasions I saw 
a Duck Hawk shase a Scaup Duck. Although the Duck exerted its 
powers of wing to the utmost and flew , as it seemed to me, tv/ice 
as fast as I have ever seen a Duck fly under ordinary circumstan- 
ces, the Hawk t - ■ a - f ' t en~rt with long, regular and apparently^ 
easy wing-beats, going at least two yards to the Duck’s one, ^over- 
took it with the utmost ease. On the first two occasions, it aban- 
doned the chase without apparent reason when it was within a 
yard or two of the Duck, and when without doubt it could have 
easily seized it by going only a short distance further. I suspec4- 
ed at the time that it was not hungry and chased the Duck simply 
in sport, a supposition which was fully confirmed by the ending 
of the third chase that . I witnessed, when the H aw k, Upon over- 
taking the Duck, turned slightly to one side and shot past it so 
5 / 
