68 BIRDS OF PREY 



gray. The throat and under-parts of the body are white, 

 plentifully cross-barred with rusty brown. 



This is a small hawk — next in size to the pigeon hawk. Its 

 beak seems rather small and weak, but its legs are long and 

 its feet large; and these, backed up by swift flight and great 

 courage and impudence, render this bird a winged terror. 

 It hunts along fences like a dog hunting rabbits, and pursues 

 song birds into their thickets and out again. Its principal 

 food is song birds, and only at long intervals does it capture 

 a mouse. This bird is rather too small to handle poultry 

 with complete success. 



The complete list of the bird remains found in 159 stom- 

 achs of Sharp-Shinned Hawks constitutes a tale of slaughtered 

 innocents that is appalling. Six stomachs contained poultry, 

 and 99 contained song birds, woodpeckers and a few others. 

 Only 6 contained mice, and 5, insects; and 52 were empty. 

 Of the wild birds, 56 species were identified. There can be no 

 question regarding the necessity for the destruction of this 

 bird, wherever it is found. It breeds throughout the entire 

 United States, northward to the arctic circle, and southward 

 to Guatemala. In some localities it is quite abundant. 



Cooper's Hawk 1 is a companion in crime to the preced- 

 ing species, and equally deserving an early and violent death. 

 By a strange coincidence it bears a strong resemblance to 

 the sharp-shinned hawk, both in form and color, but it is a 

 much larger bird. Leaving size out of consideration, it is 

 difficult to describe in words the slight differences that exist 

 between the two. 



1 Ac-cip'i-ter cooperii. Average length of male, 15.50 inches; female, 19 inches. 



