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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



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'■*iC"1[P" 



'0 IluwarJ II. Chaves 



A\ nSr'KI",^', OUR LAKGES'r hawk, rising FROil A STRIKE 



This is America's most pictiircsf|ue bird of prey, and on the wing is ahiiost as impressive 

 in appearance as tlie ea,t>le. Feeding exclusively on hsh, the bird checks itself directly over 

 its quarry wlicn siglitcd. With wings folded and talons wide open, it descends, sometimes 

 burying itself in the water with the force of its impact. In the above photograph the hawk 

 is seen rising from the water after striking a decoy fish anchored to a stone. 



would give muclT to rehabilitate this beau- 

 tiful creature if it could do so. But let 

 us realize that it is virtually impossible 

 to reestablish any species when it has 

 once become locally extinct. 



And here let us take heed in the case 

 of another fine species, one with every 

 patriotic and sentimental reason for its 

 most sedulous protection — the White- 

 headed, or "American," Eagle. For the 

 past year this noble species has been 

 placed upon the black list in Alaska and, 

 far from being protected, a boimty of 50 

 cents a head has been placed upon it. 

 This had resulted, up to January, 1920, 

 in the killing of some 5,000 eagles in 

 Alaska. 



It is charged that eagles interfere with 

 the salmon fisheries and kill large num- 

 bers of young deer, sheep, and goats, and 

 on this plea one of our most beautiful and 

 interesting species is threatened with 

 early extermination in the one region 

 where it is, or was until recently', suffi- 



ciently common to give a thrill to the 

 visitor. It would seem that the mere fact 

 that it is the universally recognized em- 

 blem of our nation should give this fine 

 species protection wherever it is found in 

 America, and that no local interest, until 

 thoroughly substantiated by expert Fed- 

 eral investigation, should withdraw it 

 from the safety of complete Federal pro- 

 tection. 



The ^larsh Ha\\k has not quite so 

 clean a record of achievement as have 

 most of the foregoing, as out of 113 

 stomachs 41 contained bird remains, of 

 ^\■hich 7 were game or potiltrv ; 79 con- 

 tained small mammals, the preponderance 

 of which were meadow-mice. Thus, 

 while it is mainly beneficial, it does kill 

 quite a proportion of feathered food. 



Last, but very important, comes the 

 common little Sparrowhawk. As small 

 as the smallest, his abundance and wide 

 distribution make it necessary to reckon 

 with him. The American Sparrowhawk 



