The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-03-05
TALK ABOUT HAWKS.
THESE FIERCE BUT GRACEFUL BIRDS
AND THEIR PREY.

Hunters The Several Kinds and Theil
Methods OF Attack--Can Catch Ducks.
Back in the middle ages, before the dis
covery of gunpowder, hunting with tho
aid OF the falcon was rs common as II now
Is with guns and dogs The bird fancieri
OF those days named certain group OF
hawks the noble falcons" These com
prised the long winged hawks, which take
their quarry while it Is in motion, never
approaching 1t steal.hily, but always max
Ing their presence known by flying aloft
while watching for chance TO sweep
downward upon the prey.
To the naturalist there are few sights OF
more absorbing interest than to watch one
OF these noble falcons while pursuing a
chosen victim. Yet 1t is anything but az
easy task TO keep an eye upon it, in case
1t extends its search for meal over "a large
extent of country. III, however, the falcon
is hunting through an open valley, the
naturalist, mounted on tall tree or build.
ing, has favorable opportunity 10 watch
1t, especially ii aided by a powerful field.
glass Every motion Of the bird may thus
be seen tn advantage, except perhaps it
sudden downward dash when It's cuarry is
discovered.
The smallest of our winged fauna, tic
tiny "dicliy birds, as our English friends
call them the sparrows, wrens and tiuy
hy catchcrs, dread the handsome and actiy {
sparrow hawk as their most inyeterate foe.
Almost thrushlikc in size, color and easy
hiCht-when not in hurry-this smallest
OF the noble falcons is not easily detected
until seen at close quarters, but he is al
most as sure Of his victim as are his larce1
relatives.
The pigeon hawk, size larger than the
sparrow hawk, is equally swift, ferocious
and death dealing. Still more dreaded
perhaps by the smaller birds is the sharb
Skinned hawk. Its larger cousin, the'cooD
ers hawk, is an active hunter of more siz
able prey, such as the wild ard tame
pigeons, half grown barnyard fowls, doves,
quails and grouse.
There is really little chance to eecapc
from the onset OF these two formidable
hunters. Like swift winged fate they
seldom come but to kill, and the anxious
mother bird knows not which OF her flock
will he taken. Thesc hawks, when not
poising aloft, fly silently through the
woods, or low over the orcn fields and
thickcts, and their presence is seldom sus
pectod until they are right upon their prey
Then comes a swift stroke, clutch of the
long, keen talons, and the "kill' is Us in
stantaneous as that of rifle bullet.
As the nrdisputed leader of the noble
falcons, the very prince Of these robbcI
barons of the air, we may name the Iere
Grine falcon, better known in our country
as the duck hawk. This dreaded hunter
sights flock, or a single bird, flying SC
high as to preclude its possible return t.
the ground before he can reach it. He theE
actually flies downward, adding the tre
mendous impetus of his wings 10 the force
of gravity, and thus attaining speed that
the eye can barely follow.
AS he nears the earth he sets his wings,
and, without checking his speed, alters by
a short curve the direction of his flight
from the vertical TO the horizontal. Thus
sweeping along parallel TO the earth, with
a speed that the observer compares with
that Of cannon ball, he ovortakes the III
fatcd duck--i,self one of the swiftest OF
1icrs-and, with one stroke of its terrible
talons, deals the paralyzing blow.
If the duck tails in the water, the hawk,
unless unusually hungry, seldom cares to
regain it; if on land, LIE dcscends 20 the
rcpast, feeding only on certain choice NOR.
sells, and leaving the rest TO less fastid.
ious appetite. Indeed most of the falcons
cat only ocrtain portions Of their prey,
ard, as rule, these are by 10 means such
as human opicurCs regard as the choicest
tidbitS.
In regard to the food OF the noble fal.
cons, the department. Of agriculture at
Washington, through the labors vi the oh
servers attached TO TIE division Of ornithol
ogy and Iaammalogy, has made some in.
tcrestine reports. Among the contents OF
falcons stoinachs have been found the re.
mains OF quails, snipes, woodcock, grouse,
ducks, various finches, and evcn-though
in rare instanCcs-swallow and swifts,
with now and then king birds and purple
martins.
That these two last mentioned, known
as exceptionally swift fliers and inveterate
hawk lighters, should fall the victims OF
hawks may DC accounted for only in one
of two ways-thcy were either surprised,
while at rest by the sudden dash of the
falcon, or they were taken when young,
before they had attained full power of
flight. No hawk or eagle, however swift
Of wing, could overtake in full flight such
darters as the swallow, the chimney swift,
or the king bird.
The hawks proper, forming different
group from the falcons, are for the most
part shorter winged, and therefore slower
and more clumsy. These include the red
tail, the broad winged, the red shouldered,
Swainson's hawk and others. They are
seldom quick enough to capture birds, or
even mice, and must content themselves
mainly with snakes, toads and the less
active of the lizards, together with the
larger insects and spiders. Two Of this
group may DC named as exceptions to this
remark-the goshawk and the marsh
hawk. The last is an especially active
bird, as it must be to capture its prey,
which consists chiefly of field mice, plovers,
snipes and even, at times, wild ducks.-S.