136 OUR WINTER BIRDS 



applies even more closely to these winged hunts- 

 men. Because one kind of Hawk has an undue 

 fondness for poultry, all Hawks are commonly be- 

 lieved to be chicken thieves and the name "Chicken 

 Hawk" or "Hen Hawk" Is applied to Hawks at 

 large, without regard to species or habits. 



The Food of Hawks 



So general is the opinion that all Hawks are de- 

 structive to poultry, that, instead of giving these birds 

 a vote of thanks for their services in destroying the 

 small rodents so destructive to our crops, some states 

 have actually offered a reward for every one killed. 

 It is just as though we should treat an ally as an 

 enemy and turn our guns upon him instead of wel- 

 coming him with open arms. 



The states that passed such ill-considered laws lost 

 not only the thousands of dollars foolishly expended 

 in bounties, but also the services of the Hawks that 

 were killed, and their crops suffered from a cor- 

 responding increase in the numbers of mice which 

 were formerly kept in check by the Hawks that had 

 been so unjustly condemned to death. 



The warfare against the Hawks (and also their 

 relatives, the Owls) became so serious that the 

 United States Department of Agriculture sent a re- 

 quest throughout the country for the stomachs of 



