PESTS AND THEIR TREATMENT 149 



rarely does it capture a mouse. It is rather too 

 small to handle domestic poultry with complete 

 success, but it can be very destructive to young 

 pheasants and quail. 



A complete list of the contents of 159 sharp- 

 shinned hawk stomachs reveals a tale of slaughtered 

 innocents that is appalling. Ninety-nine contained 

 song-birds, woodpeckers, etc., 6 contained poultry, 

 6 contained mice, 5 contained insects and 52 were 

 empty. All North America, north of Guatemala, 

 constitutes the breeding-ground and hunting- 

 ground of the sharp-shin, and wherever found, old 

 or young, it should be killed without compunction. 



Cooper's Hawk is the companion in crime of the 

 preceding species, and equally deserving of an early 

 and violent death. In form and color it bears a 

 strong resemblance to the sharp-shin, but it is a 

 much larger bird. Being a bird of strong and rapid 

 flight, much strength and activity and also great 

 boldness, it is well equipped for raiding poultry- 

 yards and pheasant-farms, and carrying off almost 

 everything except geese, turkeys and large ducks. 

 Of 133 stomachs examined, 34 contained poultry 

 or game-birds, 52 contained other birds, 11 con- 

 tained small mammals, 1 contained a frog, 3 con- 

 tained lizards, 2 contained insects, and 39 were 

 empty. The game-bird species consisted of 1 

 ruffed grouse, 8 quail and 5 pigeons. Altogether, 

 21 species of useful birds had been eaten and only 

 4 mice, 1 rat and 1 grasshopper. No bird record 



