INTRODUCTION. 15 



atory visits to the farmyard or because of attacks on game and vSong 

 birds, in another locality may be of immense value on account of its 

 service in destroying injurious mammals or insects. For example, the 

 Great Horned Owl, which in the East is persistent in its attacks on 

 poultry and game, in the rabbit-infested portions of the West destroys 

 such immense numbers of these rodents that its assistance is invaluable 

 to the farmer. The above statement applies with greater or less force 

 to the following species, which are included in the third class : Golden 

 Eagle, Bald Eagle, Pigeon Hawk, Eichardson's Hawk, Aplomado Fal- 

 con, Prairie Falcon, and Great Horned Owl. 



The Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle may be considered as beneficial to 

 the agriculturist in parts of the country where rabbits, prairie dogs, or 

 gophers are common, but in sections where sheep are extensively raised 

 they are often very injurious. 



The latter species, our National Bird, by preference eats fish and is a 

 successful fish-catcher when it can not get the Fish Hawk to do its fish- 

 ing for it. It also feeds extensively on dead fish which have washed 

 ashore. In some localities, especially in the South, it is destructive to 

 waterfowl, killing auy and all of the species, from swans and geese 

 down to the smaller ducks and coots. However, as it has been chosen 

 for our national emblem, we should not begrudge it a livelihood and 

 may, perhaps, allow it to choose what it will in the way of wild game- 



The Prairie Falcon, whose fondness for many of the ground squirrels 

 causes it to follow them relentlessly, in this way nearly, if not quite, 

 balances the harm it does by destroying waterfowl and uj^land game as 

 well as insectivorous birds. 



The Pigeon Hawk, Aplomado Falcon, and Eichardson's Merlin are true 

 falcons, whose food consists of birds of various kinds, but they consume 

 enough injurious insects and mammals to partially offset the harm done. 



The fourth and last class {d) includes those species which feed mainly 

 on animals that subserve a useful i)urpose to man and do not to any 

 appreciable es^tent destroy noxious animals. The following species are 

 included in this class : Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Goshawk, 

 Duck Hawk, the Gyrfalcons, and Fish Hawk. 



Fortunately the Goshawk is comparatively rare in most farming dis- 

 tricts of the United States, as it is a bird of the far North ; otherwise 

 its destructiveness to poultry would be very great. Few species are 

 more fond of poultry and game, and its large size enables it to carry 

 oft' with ease a full-grown chicken. Euft'ed grouse too often fall a prey 

 to it, and on account of its partiality to this bird it is known as ' Par- 

 tridge Hawk' in some jiarts of the country. In fall and winter it cap- 

 tures a considerable number of squirrels and rabbits and with ease 

 strikes down a full-grown northern hare. 



Cooper's Hawk is a common species in suitable localities throughout 

 the United States and southern Canada. Much of the ill-favor with 

 which birds of prey as a whole are looked upon is due to the depreda- 



