El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-12-02
A Self Executed Hawk

TIE was standing erect and stin
II on the bOugh of tree that had
- been struck by lightning. Pos
sibly because he was so still, most
people would have failed to see him
a bigsteel blue sparrow hawk, with
black barred white breast
II was raining hard and the wind
was driving through the woods with a
noise like the roaring Of the sea II
looked as If our sparrow hawk might
sit there in that cold place for ever
without spying meal, for the lana
appeared to be Invested Of all living
things, save a few sheep and cattle
sheltering under the lee hedges OF tne
fields. But in this one would have
been reckoning without the wonder
fully piercing eyes OF the hawk Few
creatures, however small, escaped that
piercing gaze
Meanwhile, the sun went down on
the tree tops and began to grow RED,
warning him that he must hurry II he
would get a meal before dark.
Leaving the wood, he swept out
over the fields, and had not gone 400
yards before his quick eyes sighted a
green bird nearly as large as gigeon,
flying with peculiar looping sort
of a flight, like that OF Wagtali,
towards the wood, Evidently the blrd
was anxious to get to the shelter OF
that wood too, having already spotted
the hawks dread form.
Now, the bird was a green wood
pecker,nOt a good flyer, also mug
ger of cover, but still capable OF get
ting up some speed when going for
its life, and it had long start OF the
bird of prey, too. Nevertheless, Wnen
the hawk fairly made his wings WINS
tie as he tore along in pursuit, it just
looked as though the woOdpecker was
crawling by comparison.
In fact in no longer time than It
would take you to count ten, the hawk
had fairly eaten W the distance that
separated him from the green bird,
and was upon him. He had even drop
ped his long Ieg-the right one-with
the long, crooked, middle claw ready
to make that fearful clutch from
which there was no escape.
But the woOdpecker was already
upon the wood For moment the two
birds seemed to hurl along together
into what looked like instant death
among the branches, but just at the
very last moment the hawk shot up
wards, clearing the tree tops by bar
lev an inch at a speed of so miles an
hour, whilst the WOodpecker Topped
down under a friendly branch, and up
TO a tree trunk, where he clung, in
greater danger OF death from heart
palpitatiOn than by the claws Of the
hawk But it had been fine shave,
all the same
Half mile away, a few minutes Ia
ter the hawk espied what looked IKE
an ordinary innocent thrush, hopping
q
which grew stunted little trees ablaze
with red berries.
If he had paused for a moment TO
think he would have recognized that
though the bird was a thrush, II was
not an ordinary one The grey on the
back proved that and the size also
1t was, in fact, the largest Of its tribe,
a big missel thrush, and all missel
thrushes are born fighters But the
hawk was angry and hungry, and he
thought that no bird in the W1lds,
from the pheasant doWnwards, could
stand up against him when he was
really upset.
Surprise was hopeless The bird
was out in the open now, and the
hedges being low, the hawk had no
cover behind which to approach
There was nothing for it therefore,
but TO adopt strategy
There was road running past one
side of the paddock, and on the tele-
graph wires bordering this the hawk
innOcently perched- His object was to
remain still, in as d1sinterested pose
as possible, on the chance that the
thrush would consider him full fed,
and therefore probably harmless, tn
1t would approach too close and fail
victim TO his quick dash.
This little, game Of the hawks
worked very well up to a point-the
point where the other bird gave a
loud, harsh screech, not a bit thrush
like Far I'D on a hill a friend Of his
must have heard the screech, for in a
second the hawk could see this second
bird flying down to the paddock The
hawk sat quite still, and the bird
passed right above him.
He kept his eyes fixed on this new
conner, because it was the nearer OF
the two. In fact, he was just prepar-
pairing to make a dash at this thrush.
when suddenly it turned and made a
dash at him.
He had just time to feel Amusement,
perhaps when there sounded in his
ears a harsh screech, and something
hit him bang in the back, knocking
him head over heels off the telegraph
wires. 1t was the first thrush that
hit him, and they both attacked him
again instantly, so that for a moment
he had some difficulty in righting
himself in the air before he hit the
the s-ound.
Even when he did, they held the ad-
vantage Of being above him, and in
order to save his eyes from being
pecked out, he knew that he must re-
gain that advantage instantly. Ac-
cOrdingly, he gave about six siren
uOus strokes to his strong wings, and
shot almost straight upwards like a
flash. striking right and left at his
prosecutors
Then-well, then there was a soft
sound, and the hawk came down
again in a heap-and headless. He
had struck the telegraph wires in his
dash, and they had very neatly be
headed him. I suppose he had been
too much occupied to remember they
were there.