Identifier: birdlifeguid00chap (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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e it is held by the feet. The voices of Hawks are in keeping with their dis-positions, and, while their lives typify all that is fierceand cruel, no birds are more often wrongly accused andfalsely persecuted than our birds of prey. To kill oneis regarded as an act of special merit; to spare one seemsto place a premium on crime. Still, these birds are amongthe best friends of the farmer. There are but two of ourcommon species, Coopers and the Sharp-shinned, whohabitually feed on birds and poultry. Our other com-mon species are, without exception, invaluable aids to theagriculturist in preventing the undue increase of the smallrodents so destructive to crops. Any one reading Dr. Fishers reports on this subject can not fail to be impressed with the array of facts he presents in proof of the value of these Hawk, birds. For instance, the Red-shoul- Buteo Uneatus. dered Hawk, to which the namePlate xiv. Chicken or Hen Hawk is often ap- plied, has been found to live largely on small mammals,
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Plate XXXV. Page 131. BALTIMOEE ORIOLE. Length, 7-50 inches. Male, crown, upper back, and throat black; lowerback, outer tail-feathers, breast, and belly rich orange. Female, upperparts mixed black and yellowish, rump and tail dirty yellow; under partsdusky yellow. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. - 105 reptiles, batrachians, and insects. Indeed of 220 stomachswhich were examined of this so-called Chicken Hawk,only 3 contained remains of poultry! Of the rest, 12contained birds; 102, mice; 40, other mammals; 20,reptiles; 39, batrachians; 92, insects; 16, spiders; 7,crawfish; 1, earthworms ; 2, offal; 3, fish ; and 14 wereempty * The usefulness of this Hawk is therefore obvi-ous, and in killing it we can readily see that we not onlyharm ourselves but render an important service to ourenemies. Fortunately, this valuable ally is one of our com-monest Hawks, and is with us throughout the year. Itsloud scream, Jcee-you, Tcee-you, as it sails about, high in theair, is a familiar summer sound. The red sh

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