16 



class of birds. Your paper on the food of hawks T took the liberty 

 of citing quite at length in our articles in "Science Supplement, "your 

 statistics covering the ground in a very satisfactory manner, and far 

 more fully than any other publish(;d statements known to me. Some- 

 thing of similar character on the owls would be of great service. 



Very truly yours, J, A. ALLEN. 



PARIS, France, March 20, 1886. 

 Your newspaper containing an account of the session of the VVest 

 Chester Microscopical Society is just received. Thanks. I am glad 

 to know that you are making a good fight in behalf of the birds. 

 There are few States in America where champions of the rapacious 

 rpecies are not needed. It is my experience that prejudice against 

 these birds is almost universal. Very truly yours, 



NATHAN C. BROWN. 



Allow me to thank you for championing the cause of the owl and 

 hawk. For over twenty years 1 have had congregated in my lawn 

 from fifty to seventy-five owls. They are peaceable and quiet — only 

 on rare occasions would you kuow one was about. On dull days and 

 foggy evenings they are flying about in all directions. Never in all 

 that time have I missed any poultry or have they inflicted any injury 

 on anyihing of value. 



The first I noticed of their presence was the discovery of quite a 

 pile of what appeared to be mice hair and bones, snd on investiga- 

 tion found the Norway fir was the roosting place of to me at that time 

 a vast number of owls. They had ejected the bolus of hair and bones 

 apparently of an army of tree eating destructive mice, aiding the fruit 

 grower against one of the worst and most inveterate enemies. * * * 

 Their merits would fill sheets ; their demerits nil Yours truly, 



VVM. R. STAVELY, M. D. 



Lahaska, Bucks county. Pa.. Nov. 14, 1886. 



With the additional information acquired since the last meeting, 

 the Committee reiterates its opinion that the destruction of hawks and 

 owls is prejudical to the interests of agriculture and horticulture, and 

 tiiat the bounties and fees paid for their destruction are an unnecessary 

 burden on the several rounties of the Commonwealth, and that so 

 much of the act of 1885 as relates to the destruction of hawks and 

 owls ought to be repealed 



They therefore recommend that our members of the Legislature be 

 requested to use their efforts towards obtaining the repeal of that por- 

 tion of the act of 1885 which concerns hawks and owls, and that a 

 suitable number of copies of the report of the Cominittee submitted 

 to the Society at its Marcli meeting and of tnis additional report be 

 printed and furnished to our members to be laid before the members of 

 the Legislature at its coming session. 



B. H. WARREN, JAMES C. SELLERS, ") ,. 



W. TOVVNSEND, THOMAS D. DUNN, j ^'^"im'"ee. 



