3i8 The "Hen Hawk" 



with those who pronounce it a "notorious visitor" 

 to farmyards; at least this has not been my obser- 

 vation. It is very frequently seen about pastures 

 and meadows, hunting for its favorite food, the 

 field mouse. During the late summer aiid autumn 

 it is often observed circling high in the air and 

 whistling "Kee-e-e, kee-e-e," for hours at a time. 

 For this harmless amusement, and for being so fre- 

 quently observed, it is condemned by farmers and 

 poultrymen for the depredations of the less seen and 

 more sly hawks. Usually much of the blame should 

 fall at the door of Cooper's hawk, the sharp-shinned 

 hawk, or the American goshawk — these being the 

 real "hen hawks." 



For the one act alone of destroying field mice 

 the red-tailed hawk should be granted protection of 

 the strictest kind, and agriculturists should be the 

 first to insure it. There seems to be in the minds 

 of many an idea that to let a hawk or an owl escape 

 is doing a great injustice to mankind in general. 



It is said that the red-tailed hawks are quite tame 

 in the West, and that a man can approach within a 

 short distance of one; but generally speaking, they 

 are very, shy in the East, this wildness being probably 

 due to their bein? so much persecuted for their sup- 

 posed poultry stealing habits. 



