BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



Screech Owl, usually considered a beneficial 

 bird, will devour small birds, catching them 

 when they have gone to sleep at night ; and the 

 Great Horned Owl is very destructive to bird 

 life. But be this said in his favor, he some- 

 times kills Crows. He also destroys a great 

 many rats and mice. The Great Grey Owl and 

 the Snowy Owl occasionally visit us, but only 

 in severe winters, and when they come the 

 Chickadees and Nuthatches usually disappear, 

 returning again when the Owls are gone. 

 Hawks will never become very numerous in 

 the settled districts where poultry is kept. It 

 is a mistake, however, to condemn all the 

 Hawks, for some are very beneficial, and while 

 they may take some small birds, they destroy 

 a great many bird enemies. Probably the least 

 harmful is the little Sparrow Hawk, as it lives 

 mostly on mice and grasshoppers. The hand- 

 some Marsh Hawk might also be classed 

 among those not objectionable. There are 

 others, however, that would be a great menace 

 to the birds were they allowed to become nu- 

 merous. The Sharp Shinned and the Coopers 

 Hawk are the most destructive to bird life. 

 Of the four-footed enemies happily a few, such 

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