Identifier: birdsofnewenglan00sam (find matches)
Title: The birds of New Englandand adjacent states: containing descriptions of the birds of New England ... together with a history of their habitats ... ; with illustrations of many species of the birds, and accurate figures of their eggs
Year: 1870 (1870s)
Authors: Samuels, Edward Augustus, 1836-1908
Subjects: Birds Birds Birds
Publisher: Boston : Noyes, Holmes
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
single quick glance of itskeen eyes every object, whether to the right or to the left, as it pur-sues its course. It advances by sudden dashes, as if impetuosityof movement were essential to its nature, and pounces upon andstrikes such objects as best suit its appetite, but so very suddenlythat it appears quite hopeless for any of them to try to escape.Many have been the times, reader, when watching this vigilant,active, and industrious bird, I have seen it plunge headlong amongthe briery patches of one of our old fields, in defiance of all thornyobstacles ; and, passing through, emerge on the other side, bearingoff with exultation in its sharp claws a sparrow or finch, which ithad surprised when at rest. At other times, I have seen two orthree of these hawks, acting in concert, fly at a Golden-wingedWoodpecker while alighted against the bark of a tree, where itthought itself secure, but was suddenly clutched by one of thehawks throwing, as it were, its long legs with the quickness of
Text Appearing After Image:
8HAKP-SHINNED Hawiv, Accipiter fuscus. liuuaparte. THE SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 33 thought, protruding its sharp talons, and thrusting them into theback of the devoted bird, while it was endeavoring to eludethe harassing attacks of another, by hopping and twisting around thetree. Then down to the ground assailants and assailed wouldfall, the woodpecker still offeiing great resistance, until a secondhawk would also seize upon it, and, with claws deeply thrust intoits vitals, put an end to its life, when both the marauders wouldat once commence their repast. Nuttall informs us that descending furiously and blindlyupon its quarry, a young hawk of this species broke throughthe glass of the greenhouse at the Cambridge BotanicGarden ; and, fearlessly passing through a second glass par-tition, he was only brought up by the third, and caught,though little stunned by the effort. His wing-feathers weremuch torn by the glass, and his flight in this way soimpeded as to allow of his being approached. W

Note About Images