80 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY, 



mice and ground squirrels, although it also takes young 

 squirrels, lizards, frogs, snakes, insects, birds and when 

 hungry partridges, plover and barnyard fowl. Dr. A. K. 

 Fisher, in the report of the Ornithologist and Mammalo- 

 gist of the United States for 1SS9, says of this bird: "Of 

 124 stomachs examined, 7 contained poultry or game 

 birds, 34 other birds, 57 mice, 22 other mammals, 7 rep- 

 tiles, 3 frogs, 14 insects, 1 indeterminate matter and 8 

 were empty. Although this Hawk occasionally carries 

 off poultry and game birds its economic value as a des- 

 troyer of mammal pests is so great that its slight irregu- 

 larities should be pardoned. Unfortunately, however, the 

 farmer and sportsman shoot it down at sight, regardless 

 or ignorant of the fact that it preserves an immense 

 quantity of grain, thousands of fruit trees and innumer- 

 able nests of game birds by destroying the vermin which 

 eat the grain, girdle the trees and devour the eggs and 

 the young of birds. The Marsh Hawk is unquestionably 

 the most beneficial as it is one of our most abundant 

 hawks, and its presence and increase should be encouraged 

 in every way possible, not only by protecting it by law, 

 but by disseminating a knowledge of the benefits it con- 

 fers. It is probably the most active and determined foe 

 of meadow mice and ground squirrels, destroying greater 

 numbers of these pests than any other species, and this 

 fact alone should entitle it to protection, even if it des- 

 troyed no other injurious animals." 



Mtaivk^ Pigeon. — Length, ten inches; above, bluish 

 slate color, each feather with a black shaft streak; tail, 

 black with three slate colored bands and narrowly tipped 

 with wiiite; long wing feathers black, transversely band- 

 ed with white (very noticeable from beneath); under side 

 of body white, tinged with buff, especially on the flanks, 

 and everywhere longitudinally streaked with black. Fe- 

 male differs in being brown above and buff beneath, with 

 the bars on wings and tail buff instead of white. 



