CHECKS UPON INCBEASE OF USEFUL BIRDS. 367 



shouldered Hawk (Buteo Uneatus) is the most common and 

 also the most useful. This species feeds largely on meadow 

 mice. All the Buzzards are very destructive to field mice 

 or other small rodents, and on the whole may be regarded as 

 useful to the farmer. These are the large Hawks, with long, 

 broad wings, that are often seen soaring in circles. 



The Marsh Hawk or Bog Hawk (Circus hudsonius), a 

 long, slender bird, the male of which is very light in color, 

 and the female brown with a white rump, is often seen 

 flying low over the meadows. This bird also is a great 

 destroyer of meadow mice, and is in general very useful. 



Owls. 



All the Owls kill birds, but most species kill but few, 

 and live mainly on mammals, particularly rodents like mice, 

 rabbits, and hares, on the increase of which they constitute 

 an eflFectual check. The Snowy Owl (Nyctea nyctea) and 

 the Hawk Owl (Surnia uhda caparoch) are rather rare 

 Avinter visitors ; but the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virgini- 

 anus virginianus) , our largest resident species, feeds on 

 skunks, " cotton-tail " rabbits, and mice, although it also 

 kills some game birds and small birds. This is the Owl 

 that hoots in the winter woods, Hoo' hoo hoo, Hod' hoo hoo, 

 WJiob' . It is often called the Cat Owl, because of its long 

 ear tufts ; or the Hoot Owl, because of its lugubinous cries. 



The Barred Owl (8trix varia varia), another large Owl, 

 hoots lugubriously, but its call usually ends with a hollow 

 hoo'aw, given with a falling inflection. It has a large, 

 round head, without ear tufts, and is barred with brown across 

 its whitish breast. This bird also is a mouse eater, but, like 

 the Great Horned Owl, it kills some poultry and game. 



The Short-eared Owl (Asia flammeus) is a' medium-sized 

 Owl, light yellowish-brown in color, mottled with blackish 

 above and more or less buff below. It lives much about 

 meadows and marshes, where it hawks around in the dusk 

 as the Marsh Hawk does by day, quietly picking up mice. 

 It seems to be a very silent bird, and its long wings carry 

 it about in soundless flight, to the undoing of its prey. 

 At times it kills a good many small Sparrows on the marsh. 



