68 OUR NATIVE BIRDS 



Squirrels and Chipmunks. It is well proved that 

 these animals, especially the red squirrel, destroy 

 many eggs and young birds. As every bird lover 

 is generally a lover of all nature, he must decide 

 whether he will sacrifice some birds and keep the 

 squirrels and chipmunks, or whether he will restrict 

 himself to birds, and shoot the amusing, frisky little 

 rodents. 



Weasels, Minks, Skunks, Foxes, etc. In regard to 

 these animals, I would say, from the bird lover's point 

 of view, let nature alone. The birds must have some- 

 body to look out for and to keep their wits sharpened. 

 For my own part, I could not enjoy living in a world 

 that was inhabited exclusively by very good people and 

 by very sweetly singing birds. Let us keep some of 

 the wild Indian creatures about us. 



Hawks, Owls, Crows, and Jays. The United States 

 Department of Agriculture, in an admirable pamphlet 

 called " Hawks and Owls from the Standpoint of the 

 Farmer," has shown conclusively that of about fifty 

 species of hawks and owls investigated, only four 

 common United States species are actually injurious. 

 These are the duck hawk, the sharp-shinned hawk, 

 Cooper's hawk, and the goshawk. About ten species 

 are wholly beneficial, thirty are chiefly beneficial, and 

 in seven the beneficial and harmful qualities balance. 

 This shows that nobody should kill a hawk or an owl 

 unless he knows exactly what species he kills. Nine 

 times out of ten the farmer kills one of his best friends, 

 when he shoots a hawk or an owl. 



