14G 



pouJiry yard and destroy numerous wild birds, particularly 

 grouse and quail. The ordinary plumage ot these hawks is 

 dark brown above, (very old birds, which are seldom taken, 

 have upper parts bluish), darkest on head, and lower parts 

 whitish, variously streaked and barred with dark brown, rusty 

 and pale red. In old Coopers and Sharp-shinned Hawks the 

 breast, thighs and rest of under parts, except crissum and 

 throat, whicharechiefly white, are white transversely barred with 

 ligrht red. Full plumaged Goshawks have lop of head black 

 with light grayish blue and whitish under parts with numer- 

 ous and irregular mottlings, streaks and lines of black, white 

 and dusky. 



The destructive nature of representatives of the genus Ac- 

 cipiter, which have been largely instrumental in bringing so 

 much odium on the good name of all birds of the hawk kind 

 in Pennsj-lvania is well illustrated by again turning to Dr. 

 Fisher's admirable report where records of 320 postmortem ex- 

 aminations are made as follows: Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accip- 

 iter velox): "Of 159 stomachs examined, 6 contained poultry 

 or game birds; 99, other birds; 6, mice; 5, insects; and 52 were 

 empty." From this summaiy it will be observed that of 107 

 stomachs which had in them, when the hawks w'ere killed, 

 food materials, not less than 10.") contained birds (chiefly spar- 

 rows of different species, warblers, thrushes, vireos, orioles, 

 etc.) and poultry or game birds. This kind of evidence gives 

 conclusive proof that the daring and sanguinary little Sha;rp- 

 shinned Falcon does not merit the good wall or protection of 

 farmers, poulterers, sportsmen or naturalists. 



THE COOPER'S HAWK. 



Cooper's Hawk (^Accipiter cooperi): "Of 133 stomachs ex- 

 amined, 34 contained poultry or game birds; 52, other birds; 

 11, mammals; 1, frog; 3, lizards; 2, insects; and 39 were empty." 

 By these dissections last noted we see that of 94 stomachs 

 containing foodstuffs. S6 or all but 8 had in them poultry 

 and birds, game or other kinds. The reference to "poultry," 

 in the summary last given, refers to chickens, both adult and 

 young, pigeons, and probably to other kinds of domestic 

 fowls not particularized by name. Under the head of "gam^- 

 birds" Dr. Fisher's tables show that in the Eastern and 

 Southern states the Cooper's Hawk destroys manv Quail 

 (Bob-White) and Ruffed Grouse, while in Arizona Gambel's 

 Quail is frequently captured by this audacious hawk. An ex- 

 amination of the columns headed "other birds" in Dr. Fisher's 

 tables, gives the following species, which were identified: 



Chewlnk, Purple Grackle, 



Tree Sparrow. Snow-bird (Junco), 



Song Sparrow, Savanna Sparrow. 



Meadow Lark, ' English Sparrow, 



Flicker, Nuthatch, 



Goldfinch, Hermit Thrush. 



Field Sparrow, Dove, 



Robin, Orange-crowned Warbler. 



The mammals which were found and identified In the 



