Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-11-09

APcity. IL does mot hesitate to attack
oifds much larger than itself c. J. MAJ
marc tells Of one that struck = nixht
neron Ia mid-air, dashinR Il to the
ground. Not seldom II strikes and kills
osner birds or mammals 20 Largo that II
cannot carry them away. It has been
known to kill and carry on young pullet
80 heavy that Its toes dragged ON the
ground.
saw clamorous crow follow one of
these hawks and attack IL, but the little
o'rd turned ON the sable tormentor and
drove 1t ignominousiy from the field.
Indeed, the crow was fortunate to escape
with its life, 90 fast and furious was the
onslaught Of its small but spirited an
tagonist. Occasionally mob OF bluejsys
viii follow and malign one Of these hawks
until Il becomes enraged and dashes to
earth one Of the screaming crow, all Of
whom hasten to escape, leaving their
comrade to its fate.
This hawk hunts forest, orchard, field
ana meadow. In wooded regions 1t IL very
destructive to young poultry. Being
email and inconspicuous, 1t can glide
quietly into tree near the poultry yard,
and, watching its chance, dash down
diagonally at breathiess speed, seize q
chicken, and get away before the startled
mother hen can come to the rescue. I
have even seen the villain sitting i'm
pudently upon the gate post Of chicken
yard awaiting its chance; but more often
1t comes low over the ground, Just clear
ing the fence-tops, and is gone with its
prey in q moment.
A single pair OF these hawks has been
known to get twenty or thirty chickens
before the owner realized the cause Of his
loss. Ora w. knight writes that . psir OF
these birds took ten or twelve chickens
daily from farmyard for some time be-
fore they were shot. Like others OF its
genus, the sharp-shin moves ordinarily at
moderate height, alternately sailing and
Mapping, and always on the lookout for
game.
As II crosses q river and sails over the
meadow, an ofiicious black bird rises from
its nest in . tussock OF reeds and sd-
vanccs to the attack. The unhappy bird
soon realizes Its mistake and, turning.
makes for the shelter for the wood, but
the hawk rows the air rapidly with its
wings, gaming on the poor blackbird
each second. 1t follows its quarry
through wood and thicket, matching
every twist and turn; swift, inexorable
and relentless Is fate. II can overtake
and slay a bob-white in full fight. It
sweeps quietly along a wood path and
rises to . dead branch, where it stands
almost motionless, scanning all the
ground and every tree and thicket, but
the little warbiers OF the wood have been
warmed Of Its approach and, crouching in
terror, they will not leave their hiding
places. Impatiently the hawk leaps for
ward on the air and scars on to take some
needless songster unawares.
The individual sharp. skins that spend
tho winter in the north are the hardest Of
their species, and their boldness at this
season Is unsurpassed. More than once
this hawk has dashed into or through q
window in winter to strike down a Gagged
canary. On a cold and snowy day in
January one bore down q bluejay within q
few feet of my dog.
Doctor Hatch records that while he was
riding across the prairies Of Minnesota in
winter during . furious wind, with the
mercury forty degrees below zero, one Of
these hawks passed, with uncomfortable
velocity, close to the ground, and seized
and bore on q snow bunting directly in
his path. Sometimes, in such instances,
the victim appears to be paralyxed with
fright. One winter one OF these hawks
swept into our yard, darted into flock Of
iuncoes feeding there and seized one that
remained crouched on the ground and
seemed unable to move until the hawk
struck, while its companions made their
escape to the thicket.
Some writers have given the impression
that It Is impossible for any bird to avoid
he sudden and swift attack OF this hawk.
it sometimes misses and
loses Its prey. A ph1be, sitting on low
branch near the barn cellar, which con-
Iained its nest, dove from the limb,
escaped the hawks talons, turned the cor
ner OF the barn and entered the cellar so
quickly that the confused hawk few away
A flock OF least sandpipers
scattered 30 deftly on the onslaught OF
this hawk that all escaped unframed; but
perhaps such . happy contamination is
the exception and not the rule.
Evidently the sharp Skinned hawk de-
lights in the chase, and prefers birds to
my other food. DR.. A. K. Fisher, OF the
biological survey, reports as follows on
he contents OF one hundred and seven
,tomschs OF this hawk that contained
food: Six had poultry or game birds,
ninety nine contained other birds, eight
contained mice and five had eaten insects.
DR.. b. II. Warren examined nineteen
,tomachs OF this bird, seventeen OF which
were found to contain remains OF poultry
or game birds.
This hawk undoubtedly eats nearly il
not quite all the smaller useful species Of
land birds, and it feeds to some extent on
mice, shrews, frogs, lizards and insects.