Dragonfly Attacks" Hawaiian Hawk"
Dragonfly “Attacks” Hawaiian Hawk.-On the island of Hawaii on October 26, 1960, I was watching two Hawaiian Hawks or 10s (Buteo soziterius) circling about 300 feet overhead when I noticed a dragonfly make contact with one of them, rapidly back off about 20 feet, then dart in again to make contact. During the 5 minutes that the hawks were in sight, the dragonfly would dart in about every 15 seconds, make contact with the forepart of the wing or body of the hawk, dart quickly back, and keep a discreet distance until the next “attack.” The dragonfly confined its attention to one hawk although at times the two were so close together that it appeared the dragonfly might easily have turned its attention to the other. The hawk appeared to ignore the whole episode.-EDWIN I. STEARNS, Westfield, New Jersey, November 20, 1960.
