NATURAL ENEMIES 21 



(19086, p. 127) observed a pair of Duck Hawks capture a Red Phala- 

 rope. Black Turnstones were considered the favorite prey at one 

 locality on the island. 



A fourth species, the Western Goshawk, which is rare in California 

 except in the extreme northern and northeastern portions of the state, 

 should also be ranked among the harmful species. It is similar in 

 form to the Cooper and Sharp-shinned hawks but is of much larger 

 size. The adults have bluish gray backs and gray-and-white breasts, 

 while the immature birds have brown backs and streaked bellies. 

 Where it is abundant the Goshawk is known to do serious damage to 

 grouse and quail. 



The two members of the cat famil}'^ found in California, the moun- 

 tain lion, ' ' puma " or " cougar, ' ' and the wildcat, ' ' bob-cat, " or " lynx- 

 cat," are both enemies of game. The mountain lion is accused on good 

 evidence of killing an average of at least one deer a week throughout 

 the year. In addition it probably kills the larger game birds. It can 

 readily be seen, therefore, that the systematic destruction of the moun- 

 tain lion means the saving of a large number of deer, and perhaps 

 some game birds. The wildcat feeds habitually upon birds, and it is 

 doubtful whether the number of rodents eaten compensates for the 

 destruction of quail and other valuable birds. There is considerable 

 evidence that the wildcat is, in certain localities, a very important 

 enemy of quail. For instance, a wildcat killed at Petaluma, December 

 29, 1908, contained a recently caught California Quail (Dixon, MS). 



These, then, are the principal undoubted enemies of game birds in 

 California. To the mammals might be added, according to local cir- 

 cumstances and season, the weasel, skunk, coyote, and raccoon ; but 

 all of these, especially the first two, do considerable good by destroying 

 small rodents and in most instances probably do more good than harm. 

 Before any of these mammals are killed an attempt should be made to 

 determine whether or not, in the particular locality and as regards 

 other interests than those of the game, they are doing more harm than 

 good. Circumstances sometimes alter cases, however, and the system- 

 atic destruction of coyotes in Modoc County in 1916, because of the 

 spread of rabies by them, was to be favored. Also, on occasion, indi- 

 vidual animals, as when found destroying ducks' nests, should be 

 destroyed. An account of such depredations by a coyote in Sutter 

 County is given by Neale (1916, p. 161). In certain localities raccoons 

 rob the nests of ground-nesting birds. The breaking up of the nests 

 of ducks and other water birds in the Los Baiios district of the San 

 Joaquin Valley has been attributed to these animals (H. C. Bryant, 

 19Ue, p. 237). 



The only bounty paid by the state on any of these animals is twenty 

 dollars each for mountain lions. Several of the counties offer bounties 



