526 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



is not nearly bo serious in its detrimental effects as is supposed. 

 Where poultry is not permitted to roost out in trees, being kept under 

 a roof at night, as they should be, the owls do not harm them. We 

 regard it as more important to protect poultry by shelter than by 

 legislation. 



We hope that the other owls named here, as well as the little 

 Screech Owl, which is the enemy of the English Sparrow and house 

 mice, will never be placed on the list of unprotected birds. Gunners 

 should remember that there are more kinds of owls and hawks found 

 in the State of Pennsylvania that are protected by law at all times 

 of the year, than there are that are unprotected. 



THE CRANE 



Among the wading birds that are unprotected by law, are the 

 Crane, Heron and Bittern. It is impossible to tell just what is 

 meant by the Crane. There are two species of Cranes found in the 

 United States. Both are Southern birds. The Sand Hill Crane 

 lives chiefly in the Southwestern part of the United States, and is 

 not known in Pennsjivania. The White or Whooping Crane (see 

 Fig. 16) is also a Southern bird, and on very rare occasions may 

 stray into Pennsylvania as a straggler. It can be said of it that it 

 eats fi.shes, frogs and other aquatic creatures, but it is probable that 

 its attacks on fishes are confined chiefly to those that are sluggish 

 and easily captured, or slow-moving species, which, in turn, feed 

 upon the eggs of the wary, quick-moving, spiny-rayed fishes, like the 

 bass, the perch, the pike and their allies. At least, it can be said 

 that the White Crane is altogether too rare and interesting to call 

 for anything else than our most serious efforts for its protection, 

 when it is wafted into this State, apparently by the Southern breezes, 

 and shoul'^ then become an object of intense interest and study for 

 our school children. 



THE HERON 



There is no one bird known as the "Heron," and the law does not 

 state that the Herons are unprotected by law. We think it better 

 that it be specific and make a statement as to what species of Herons 

 are to be unprotected. Among Pennsylvania Herons are the Great 

 Blue Heron, the Little Blue Heron (see Fig. 17), the Green Heron, 

 and two species of night herons. All these are wading birds, feed- 

 ing mostly upon aquatic creatures and taking chiefly more or less 

 soft-rayed fishes. However, the Great Blue lleron has been quite 

 effective as an enemy of gophers and other rodents which live in the 

 ground, and which it has been seen to capture and destroy. From 

 the stomachs of different species of herons, we have taken insects 

 and Cray fish to a great extent, showing that they feed on something 

 else than fishes and there is justification, from the economic stand- 

 point, in their preservation. 



THE BITTERN 



The "Bittern" is a term likewise used in the generic manner, for 

 which there is no one bird. There are two species of bitterns found 

 in this State. One is known as the Indian Hen, or American Bit- 



