216 



coinmuniialiiig witli it. A pair of doves that had mated were 

 attacked and killed by a pair of Sparrow Hawks, who took 

 possession of their nesl. laid four esgs and conimenred in- 

 cubating." 



Incubation, which lasts for about a period of from 

 twenty one to twent.v-foiir days, is engaged in b.y both 

 birds, and while one is sitting its mate supplies it with 

 food. When lirst hatched the .young are covered with 

 a white down. The food of young, while under pa- 

 I'ental care, f liaye found to consist chiefly of insects. 



PROTECT THE SPARROW HAWK. 



The farmer, fruit grower and spoi'tsmeu sliouldj 

 learn the true value of this little hawk, as he is one 

 of the most desirable feathered visitors and should not 

 by even tlie most casual observer be mistaken for that 

 destructive marauder the 8harp-shiuned Hawk. The 

 Sparrow Hawk preys to a very considerable ixient on 

 English sparrows. 



Popular ignorance of the great service which this 

 species does to the farmer and pomologist, by destroy- 

 ing myriads of noxious insects, together with the in- 

 disposition or inability to distinguisli Spaiiow hawks 

 from the Sharp-shinned and smaller individuals of 

 Cooper's hawk, which so many people have, have re- 

 sulted in placing Sparrow hawks under ban, and they 

 are destroyed by farmers and gunners in many sec- 

 tions with tlie same eagerness that they kill the de- 

 structive Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks. 



This useless slaughter, which, of course, was mater 

 ially aided by the inducement which a "scalp act" af- 

 forded, has bionglit about a very noticeable decrease 

 in the number of Sparrow hawks one sees nowadays. 

 Twelve or fourteen years ago T have often counted 

 from the car windows in riding from Philadelphia to 

 Harrisbnrg from twenty to twenty-five of these little 



