1910] The Ottawa Naturalist. 203 



plentiful during the migration of small liirds, particularly 

 Tree Sparrows and Juncoes, upon which rliey prey with much 

 persistency. They should not be confused, however, with the 

 White-rumped Shrike, which takes their place during the 

 summer months. These latter birds are probably much more 

 useful, as their food is made up largely of grasshoppers. 



April 18. Examined pellets of a Western-horned Owl of 

 last summer and found them to contain fur of a striped gopher 

 (unusual food), rabbit and mouse hair, and also broken bones 

 of several small mammals. 



June 10. Saw a ma l- Marsh Hawk capture a Cowbird. 

 He appeared suddenly o\er some bushes and made his capture 

 almost before the small bird was aware of his presence. 



Only a farmer can fully appreciate Cowbirds. You must be 

 following the plough or tending cattle to note the habits which 

 can be observed nowhere else. They will be seen at one time 

 running about on the back of a cow, catching flies; at another, 

 being shoved out of the way by the nozzel of a feeding horse. 

 A small band are nearly always in attendance of the ploughman 

 picking up noxious larvae, such as White Grubs, etc., and when 

 they become less hungry they content themselves with pinching 

 the heads of large grubs, only eating the smaller. It is interesting 

 to watch them running along with their beaks pointing upwards 

 making a careful scrutiny above for a possible hawk. To see 

 the males, v/hich greatly predominate, showing off and being 

 chased by the females; to sit still and have full grown young 

 walk over one and fearlessly take food offered, besides many 

 other little acts,tendsto make us forget the habits of parasitism 

 for which they are condemned, for with all their faults they still 

 do much good; and, for the old-fashioned naturalist, who cares 

 less for the dollars and cents, and more for Nature, because it is 

 Nature, the Cowbird, when properly known, will always be 

 looked upon with warm regard. 



June 11. Noticed several Red Crossbills in the spruce 

 woods feeding on old cones on the tops of the trees, which 

 indicates that perhaps they breed here. 



Tune 18. A nest of a Red-tailed Hawk examined to-day. 

 contained three young that could almost fly. and a striped 

 gopher. 



June 24. Found the nest of a Swainson's Hawk m an 

 aspen tree. There were three young in it about two weeks old. 

 also three striped gophers and a Meadow Lark. 



I have examined numerous nests of these hawks at cifferent 

 times, and when there were voung present, have never failed to 

 find gophers also, showing that the nestlings are supplied with 



