10 USEFUL BIRDS. 
insects and deserves our protection at all times. What few honey 
bees he takes appear to be mostly drones; examination of six hun- 
dred and thirty-four stomachs showed only 61 bees in 22 stomachs. 
Of these 51 were useless drones. On the other hand, it devours 
_robber flies which catch and destroy honey bees. (From Biol. 
Survey Bull. U. S. Dept. of Agr.) Length, eight and a half inches; 
upper parts, dark gray, almost black on head. Concealed flame- 
colored crest on head; under parts, whitish. 
SPARROW HAWK. 
(Plate, Hic? 13:) 
Our smallest and most beautiful hawk. Common in fields and 
along roadsides in the late summer and fall, at which time it con- 
sumes large numbers of grasshoppers. It also eats other insects, 
caterpillars, spiders, and at least one-quarter of its food consists 
of field mice, shrews, and field-dwelling house mice. It occasionally 
preys upon young birds but this is not a common trait of this 
species. Quoting from a Biological Survey Bulletin: “Out of four 
hundred and ten stomachs examined, three hundred and fourteen 
were found to contain insects, one hundred and twenty-nine small 
mammals, and seventy, small birds.” We unhesitatingly class 
these amongst our useful birds. It is found throughout the United 
States, breeding wherever it is a summer resident; is about ten 
inches long; back, brownish red or rufous with black bars. Black 
band at end of rufous tail, the extreme end of which is white. Head, 
bluish with brown shadings. Under parts and sides spotted with 
black. The above brief description applies to the male bird. A 
hole in a tree is utilized as a nest; eggs, whitish or creamy, three 
to seven in number. 
MEADOW LARK. 
(Plate 2, Fig. 14.) 
The Meadow Lark is common from the Atlantic to the Great 
Plains, and a variety extends west of the Plains to the Pacific 
Coast. It is an inhabitant of both prairie land and fields in dis- 
tricts more or less wooded, and while not a fine songster, in the 
opinion of many, adds much to our enjoyment of the country. The 
color of the upper parts is a mingling of black, whitish and chestnut, 
darker on the head, where we find a light streak running back from 
the bill; side of head light, showing a yellow streak over and in 
front of eye; chin, throat, and breast bright yellow, with a jet black 
