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While watching the Swifts and Bats this evening, 
I suddenly saw among them what I at first took to be a 
gigantic Sv^ift. It was flying in a great circle, moving 
its wings with that rapid, vibrating motion so charac¬ 
teristic of the Swift's flight. It appeared to be some¬ 
what larger than a Martin and had a large head and a short 
tail. After circling a few times, it made off over the 
woods, when the whole throng of Swifts and Bats started 
after it with shrill twittering and squeaking. Hutton, 
who was with me, at once pronounced it to be a "Bat.Hawk” 
and said that it preyed wholly on Bats and Swifts. I 
could not at the time believe that it was really a bird of 
prey but Hutton proved to be right for the singular¬ 
looking creature presently returned and, pitching down 
from a great height, alighted on a dead stub where I shot 
it. It turned out to be a male Falc o ruf i ROilajis , by far 
the most beautiful Hawk that I have ever killed. According 
to Leota^nd it is a crepuscular species, spending the day 
in the forest and coming out into the open country only 
after sunset. Leotand also says that it feeds exclusively 
on Bats, but this specimen was plucking a bird when shot 
for we distinctly saw the feathers floating about its 
perch in the still air. Probably the bird was a Swift, 
but although we saw it fall, we could not find it under the 
tree 
