FOES AMONG THE BIRDS 103 



Formerly, when the low, marshy shores of the Caro- 

 linas and some of the more southern States were de- 

 voted to rice-culture, the bobolinks made great havoc 

 upon the sprouting rice in spring and upon the ripen- 

 ing grain on their return migration in the fall. With a 

 change in the rice-raising districts, however, this damage 

 is no longer done. 



Destruction of poultry. Some of the hawks and 

 owls destroy poultry, but, as already pointed out in 

 discussing the value of these birds in destroying 

 rodents, this is the exception and not the rule. Only 

 one common hawk, Cooper's hawk, does any serious 

 damage in the poultry-yard. The sharp-shinned 

 hawk, which is one of the injurious hawks, is too 

 small to do much damage to the larger fowl, and 

 finds its food chiefly among the small native birds. 

 Other hawks and owls occasionally destroy poultry, 

 but the harm done is much more than balanced by 

 the good done in destroying mammal pests. Fol- 

 lowing is a list of hawks and owls arranged in the 

 order of the percentage of individuals that had eaten 

 poultry : — 



Name of bird Per cent of birds that 



had eaten poultry 



Cooper's hawk 36 



Great horned owl 28 



Red-tailed hawk 11 



Marsh hawk 6 



Sharp-shinned hawk 6 



Barred owl 6 



The percentage of the others is zero, or so small 

 as to be negligible. 



