NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



raising his hand against the entire hawk tribe because 

 of the predatory acts of a few hawks. Kill the offenders 

 certainly, but leave the others alone. 



What of the quails and partridges taken by hawks ? 

 you ask. The number of these birds slain by hawks 

 is very few in comparison to the rats, mice, and insects 

 devoured. What matters an occasional quail, par- 

 tridge, pheasant, or rail to the saving of crops, planta- 

 tions, orchards, and pasturage from the ravenous hosts 

 of rats, mice, locusts, and grasshoppers ? 



The governors of one of the States of America 

 many years ago, persuaded by the farmers that hawks 

 and owls were harmful to man, actually passed an Act 

 providing a bounty of fifty cents each for every hawk 

 and owl killed within the boundaries of the State. In 

 addition to this sum another twenty cents were given 

 as fee to the notary taking the affidavit. In two years 

 the State paid out 100,000 dollars in fees and bounties. 

 This mad slaughter of hawks and owls resulted in a 

 rapid increase of rats, mice, and other small rodents, 

 culminating in an actual loss to farmers in grain and 

 other crops of 4,850,000 dollars. This merely 

 represented the loss immediately following the de- 

 struction of the chief natural enemies of small rodents. 

 Many millions more of dollars were lost before the 

 balance of Nature was restored. And yet man still 

 prefers to muddle along, making more or less blind 

 hits and misses instead of calling in and profiting by 

 the advice of his men of science. 



In Montana a similar stupid Act was passed which 

 also brought upon those foolhardy people an appalling 



176 



