216 



communicating with it. A pair of doves that had mated were 

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

 possession of their nest, laid four eggs and commf^ncfd in- 

 cubating." 



Incubation, which lasts for about a period of fiom 

 twentv-ono to twenty-four days, is engaged in by both 

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

 food. When first hatched the young are covered with 

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

 rental care, I have found to consist chiefly of insects. 



PROTECT THE SPARROW HAWK. 



The farmer, fruit grower and sportsmen shouldj 

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

 of the most desirable feathered visitors and should not 

 by even the most casual observer be mistaken for that 

 destructive marauder the Sharp-shinned Hawk. The 

 Sparrow Hawk preys to a very considerable extent 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 distinguish Sparrow hawks 

 from the Sharp-shinned and smaller individuals o>f 

 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 the same eagerness that they kill the de- 

 structive Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks. 



Tliis useless slaughter, which, of course, was mater- 

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

 forded, has brought about a very noticeable decrease 

 in the number of Sparrow hawks one sees nowadays. 

 Twelve or fourteen years ago I have often counted 

 from the car windows in riding from Philadelphia to 

 Harrisbnrg from twentv to twentv five of Miese little 



