In this way he killed five before the flock
escaped into the woods. He then leisurely went back, picked them up one
by one, and carried them to the spot selected for his lunch. With us, I
am happy to say, he is shy and distant, preferring the river marshes to
the vicinity of our farmyards. He usually takes his prey while swooping
swiftly along on the wing.
"Have we any hawks similar to those employed in the old-time falconry of
Europe?" Webb asked.
"Yes; our duck or great-footed hawk is almost identical with the
well-known peregrine falcon of Europe. It is a permanent resident, and
breeds on the inaccessible cliffs of the Highlands, although preferring
similar localities along a rocky sea-coast. There is no reason to doubt
that our duck-hawk might be trained for the chase as readily as its
foreign congener. It has the same wonderful powers of flight, equal
docility in confinement, and can be taught to love and obey its master. I
have often wondered why falconry has not been revived, like other ancient
sports. The Germans are said to have employed trained hawks to capture
carrier-pigeons that were sent out with missives by the French during the
siege of Paris. In a few instances the duck-hawk has been known to nest
in trees. It is a solitary bird, and the sexes do not associate except at
the breeding season. While it prefers water-fowl, it does not confine
itself to them. I shot one on a Long Island beach and found in its crop
whole legs of the robin, Alice's thrush, catbird, and warblers.
Pages:
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173