MORE ABOUT HIS FOOD 53 
not do so. Only two of the common hawks 
and one owl! disturb chickens. All the others 
kill thousands of the little animals that give the 
farmers so much trouble. 
Owls have a curious way of eating mice. 
They swallow them whole, and after a while 
they throw up a queer-looking little ball made 
of the bones and fur of the mouse. 
You may some time have seen a long-legged 
heron walking about on the seashore or in the 
salt marsh. Now and then he would thrust his 
long, sharp bill into something, and lift up his 
head and swallow. Or you have noticed a 
little sandpiper running along on the beach or 
the bank of a river. 
The heron was probably eating frogs or fish, 
and the sandpiper some of the small sea crea- 
tures thrown up by the waves. If these were 
not taken away they would be very bad for us, 
and perhaps make us sick. 
Not less useful to us than these birds are the 
whole family of finches. The goldfinch in 
bright yellow coat, the purple finch in red, and 
the sparrows in plain brown. All of these are 
fond of seeds as well as insects, and most of all 
they like the seeds of some weeds that are hard 
to get rid of. 
1 Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks, and great horned or 
hoot owl. 
