THE OOLOGIST 



105 



times others of our game birds are 

 ruined for the table from the same 

 cause. ThR eating of wild celery by the 

 Canvft''- backed Dack is said to greatly 

 add to irs excellence as a table delica- 

 cey. 



Among the rapacious birds there is a 

 greater variation in food and the man- 

 ner of spcurins; it than would be sup- 

 pospd. All excepting the Vultures seize 

 their prey with the talons, but while 

 the B' zzird Hawks are slow in securing 

 the live creaturo, the trao Hawks, Fal- 

 cons and Harriers are like lightning in 

 their m/vpments. The Red-taiiec? and 

 Redshoiildered Hawks are quite con- 

 tent with striped snakes, toads and 

 frogs; while an occasional common 

 striped gopher or chipmunk is added to 

 their bill of fare, and these birds are but 

 seldom found to molest the chickens of 

 the barnyard, it is the Cooper Hawk 

 and its near relaive the Sharp-shinned 

 Hawk, who claim most of the chicks 

 from the coop or garden. These depre- 

 dators will seize a chick or half-grown 

 fowl as quick as a flash and sail away 

 with it before a Buzzard Hawk could 

 make up its mind to an attack. The 

 Buzzard Hawks are not averse to in- 

 sects at times and scarcely anything in 

 the nature nf animal food is refused by 

 them; but 'hen most all of the rapacious 

 birds will vary their diet with a cheaper 

 quality of food. I have seen t^iat bird 

 of elegant appearance in the air — the 

 Swallow-taiI"d Kite — sweep down and 

 secure a scake and bear it aloft, trail- 

 ing it through the air as it swept the 

 heavens in graceful evo utions. Accord- 

 ing to my apprnciation there is no bird 

 in the air quite equal to the Swallow- 

 tailed Kite. Su( h dashes and plunges 

 and un^xpected g} I'atiuns as they make. 

 While the common Hawks are silently 

 soaring or plodding through the forests 

 the Kites are saeti to perform all the 

 evolutions known to the bird world. 



The Spjirrow Hawk catches small 

 birds with great dexterity, but compen- 



sates for this lapse in decency in a 

 measure by gatherincr in many of the 

 pestiferous rodents that infest the wood 

 and field. In the summer when the 

 grasshoppers are plentiful, this little 

 Hawk destroys an amazing number of 

 these insects. It is interesting to watch 

 a Sparrow Hawk catching hoppers. He 

 will sit on a dead branch and fly about, 

 first to one side and then to another, 

 much after the manner of a Flycatcher; 

 and he is almost as accurate in his work. 

 I once observed a Sparrow Hawk catch 

 a grasshopper on the wing, but the work 

 is mostly dune on the ground, and the 

 bird always returns to hii perch before 

 eating his capture. 



The little Blue-winged hawk or Sharp- 

 shin is a veritable friend among the 

 small birds. There is no limit to his 

 destructive inclinations and I only for- 

 give hioi when he moves into the city 

 in November and December and wages 

 war on the imported Sparrows. 



The Owls are flesh feeders and lot 

 part'cu'.ar as to choice, as they will eat 

 most anything dead or alive, but will 

 become very hungry before they will 

 eat tainted meat, as I have proven many 

 timt-s with my pet Owls. This is not 

 anything like the habit of the Bald 

 Eagle, the emblem of our country, which 

 often feeds on putr.d flesh, and I really 

 believe prefers stale fish to fresh. One 

 Owl that I had as a pet for a long time 

 would eat all fresh meat tQat I handed 

 him, whether steak, mouse, snake or 

 any small bird. His habit of eating was 

 always the same, and he invariably held 

 the object in his claws and tore it with 

 Morris Gibbs, M. D. 



(To be Continued.) 



Wisconsin Hash. 



What has become of our House 

 Wrens, or in fact any of our Wrens? I 

 have not seen a Wren of any variety 

 this season, in town or out of town. All 



