318 The “Hen Hawk: : 
with those who pronounce it a “notorious visitor” 
to farmyards; at least this has not been my obser- 
vation. It is very frequently seen about pastures 
and meadows, hunting for its favorite food, the 
field mouse. During the late summer and autumn 
it is often observed circling high in the air and 
whistling ‘“ Kee-e-e, kee-e-e,”’ for hours at a time. 
For this harmless amusement, and for being so fre- 
quently observed, it is condemned by farmers and 
poultrymen for the depredations of the less seen and 
more sly hawks. Usually much of the blame should 
fall at the door of Cooper’s hawk, the sharp-shinned 
hawk, or the American goshawk—these being the 
real “hen hawks.” 
For the one act alone of destroying field mice 
the red-tailed hawk should be granted protection of 
the strictest kind, and agriculturists should be the 
first to insure it. There seems to be in the minds 
of many an idea that to let a hawk or an owl escape 
is doing a great injustice to mankind in general. 
It is said that the red-tailed hawks are quite tame 
in the West, and that a man can approach within a 
short distance of one; but generally speaking, they 
are very shy in the East, this wildness being probably 
due to their being so much persecuted for their sup- 
posed poultry stealing habits. 
