Red-shouldered Hawk 
217 
the slow merry-go-round at a height that would 
make any child dizzy. Sometimes they rise out 
of sight. Kee you, kee you, they scream as they 
sail. Does the teasing blue jay imitate the call 
for the fim of frightening little birds? 
But the red-shouldered hawk is not on 
pleasure bent much of the time. Perching is 
its specialty, and on an outstretched limb, or 
other point of vantage, it sits erect and digni- 
fied, its far-seeing eyes alone in motion trying 
to sight its quarry — a mouse creeping through 
the meadow, a mole leaving its ttmnel, a chip- 
mimk running along a stone wall, a frog leap- 
ing into the swamp, a gopher or young rabbit 
frisking around the edges of the wood — ^when, 
spying one, “like a thunderbolt it falls.” 
If you could ever creep close enough to a 
red-shouldered hawk, which is not likely, you 
would see that it is a powerful bird, about a 
foot and a half long, dark brown above, the 
feathers edged with rusty, with bright chestnut 
patches on the shoulders. The wings and dark 
tail are barred with white, so are the rusty-buff 
under parts, and the light throat has dark 
streaks. Female hawks are larger than the 
males, just as the squaws in some Indian tribes 
are larger than the braves. It is said that 
hawks remain mated for life ; so do eagles and 
owls, for in their family life, at least, the birds of 
prey are remarkably devoted, gentle and loving. 
