and that each mouse or its equivalent would cause the farmer 

 a loss of two cents per year. This gives a value of $20 for the 

 yearly services of every Hawk. Fortunately Hawks are now 

 protected by law in many states including New York. 



The Red-tailed Hawk is sometimes guilty of taking 

 poultry. Out of 562 stomachs of this species examined by the 

 Government, only 54 contained poultry or game birds while 409 

 contained mice and other mammals. This dignified bird may 

 be seen in the country on a fair day, high in the sky, circling 

 slowly and gracefully over fields and woods, evidently enjoy- 

 ing its lofty flight while watching sharply for some dainty 

 morsel of food below. 



The power of a Hawk's vision is marvelous. Our Hawk 

 will discover a small bird, a mouse or a frog when hundreds of 

 feet above it. Suddenly it swoops down to the ground and 

 seizing its prey in its talons, it flies away to some tree to devour 

 it. The long sharp claws of the Hawk have a firm grip and 

 when they have once closed upon a victim, there is little chance 

 for it to escape. The beak, short, stout, and hooked soon puts 

 an end to any remaining life in the captive and the torn flesh 

 is gulped down greedily or fed to the young in the nest. 

 Should the creature caught be a rabbit or other animal suffi- 

 cient for a full meal, the Hawk may sit quietly and stupidly on 

 a limb for hours during the process of digestion. At such a 

 time the bird is often approached and shot. 



If wounded and captured, this Hawk like all others will 

 throw itself on its back and, while uttering a hissing sound, 

 fight with wing, beak and claw in a manner that makes 

 approach dangerous. Its cry is a shrill k-shee-o, k-shee-o, 

 k-shee-o always uttered when the bird is flying. 



33 



