36 



stroyed as poultry thieves. Oiw. toiinty (oinniissioDrr, 

 thrice elected to the office because of his wisdom, pni 

 dential and ecouoinical ways, sanctioned the paying of 

 bounties for nighthawk's heads. When the commis- 

 sioner's attention was called to the injustice of such 

 payments he claimed he favored them because the 

 "blamed bird must be a hawk otherwise it would not 

 have been named as it was." 



Although the framer of the act, when he wrote "to 

 be paid for every hawk fifty cents," did not evidently 

 mean to include nighthawks, probably a legal decision 

 to pay for them was strictly proper. This incident 

 demonstrated to the writer the great importance rf 

 employing common names for wild animals which 

 would not be misleading as is the appellation "night- 

 hawk." 



SHRIKES AND WEASELS. 



The Shrikes or Butcher birds which feed mainly on 

 large-sized beetles, grasshoppers, other detrimental in 

 sects, mice and the pestiferous English Sparrow, have 

 been captured, it is said, in goodly numbers, and sold 

 for premiums in several counties under the "catchy" 

 but misleading names of "Little Blue" or ''Little Bird" 

 hawks. Dr. C. Hart Marriani, TT. S. Dept. of Agr., 

 Washingt(!'n, D. 0., says: 



"There are two kinds of weasels in the eastern states. The 

 smaller kind feeds chiefly on mice and insects, and is not 

 known to kill poultry. The larger also preys mainly on mice 

 and rats, but in addition sometimes kills rabbits and poultry. 



Both species are friends of the farmers, for the occasional 

 loss of a few chickens Is of trifling consequence compared with 

 the good that these animals are constantly doing In checking 

 the increase of mice." 



Additional illustrations could be added to further 

 em]thasiz(' the imperative need of a better and more 



