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TEXTBOOK OP ZOOLOGY 



including the large red-tailed and red-shouldered, are extremely 

 beneficial because of the rodents and insects they devour. Only the 

 sharp-shinned hawk, Accipiter velox, and Cooper's hawk, Accipiter 

 cooperi, are particularly destructive to other birds and poultry. They 

 are bluish gray, swift fliers, frequently called ' ' blue darters. ' ' There 

 are two American eagles quite generally distributed over the conti- 

 nent. They are : the national bird, Aquila chrysaetos, or golden eagle, 

 and the bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus. 



Fig. 312. — Killdeer, Oxyeclius vociferus. A common shore bird. (From Metcalf, 

 Textbook of Economic Zoology, published by Lea and Febiger, after Snyder.) 



Gallifornies (Fowllike Scratchers). — Turkeys, quails, pheasants, 

 prairie chickens, and domestic chickens are the most notable repre- 

 sentatives of this group. Here are some of the most famous game as 

 well as commercial birds. The wild turkeys and prairie chickens are 

 becoming scarce, and considerable effort is being made to save and 

 rebuild the remnant in the Southwest. Pheasants have been very 

 successfully introduced to some parts of our country from Asia. 

 They make excellent game birds. The group are all scratchers, living 

 largely on the ground and feeding on seeds and insects. Some of 

 them roost in trees. They have stout bodies, hard bills, and short 

 wings. 



