30 LEGISLATION FOE THE PEOTECTIOIT OF BIRDS. 



species which occur north of Mexico, about 17 consist of stragglers or 

 of subspecies of little importance from an economic standpoint. Of 

 the 73 important species and subspecies, onl}^ 6 have been shown to 

 be actually injurious, viz, the sharp-shinned hawk {Accipiter velox), 

 Cooper's hawk {Accijnter cooperi)^ goshawk {Accijnteratrkapillus)^ 

 duck hawk {Falco ])eregrinii8 muituiu), pigeon hawk {Faleo colwiiba- 

 rius), and great horned owl {Buho vlrgmlanus)} On the other hand, 

 some of the species are decidedh^ useful as insect destroyers. Two of 

 the large hawks commonl}^ included under the term 'chicken hawk' — 

 Swainson's hawk {Buteo sioainsoni) and the red-shouldered hawk {Buteo 

 Uneatus) — feed largely on insects, and the former bird destroj's immense 

 numbers of grasshoppers when such food is available. In an examina- 

 tion of 18 stomachs of Swainson's hawk, 8 were found to contfiin 

 insects, and no poultry or birds were found in any; while of 220 stom- 

 achs of the red-shouldered hawk, 92 contained insects and only 15 

 poultry or birds. A still more strildng example of grasshopper-eating 

 proclivities is that of the sparrow hawk — one of our most useful birds. 

 In referring to this species, Dr. Fisher says: 



Till' Kuljject of the food of this hawk is one of great interest, and considered in its 

 ec(Miunii(^ l)earings, is one that should be carefully studied. The sjiarrow hawk is 

 alnujst exclusively insectivoroiLs, except wlieu insect food is difficult to obtain. In 

 localities where gra.sshoppers and crickets are abundant these hawks congregate, often 

 in moderate-sized flocks, and gorge themselves continuously. Rarely do they touch 

 any other form of food until, either l»y the advancing season or other natural causes, 

 the grasshopper crop is so lessened that their hunger can not be appeased without 

 undue exertion. Then other kinds of insects and other forms of life contril)ute to 

 their fare, lieetles, si)iders, mice, shrews, small snakes, lizanls, or even birds may 

 be re<iuirc<l td bring up the balance.- 



'I'he diet of these species would seem to entitk^ them to rank as 

 insectivorous, but it is doul)tful whether the State laws protecting 

 insectivorous birds contemplated inchiding any birds of prey under 

 that term. 



LISTS OF SPECIES PROTECTED IN EACH STATE AND IN THE 

 CANADIAN PROVINCES. 



For convenience in comparison, the lists of birds protected under 

 various State laws have been ])rought together in ta])ular form. But 

 as these State lists have little uniformity (see pp. 50-84), it has ])ccn 

 necessary to adopt some detinite order of sequence, and for this reason 

 the species have been rearranged in accordance with the Check List 

 of the American Ornithologists' Union. Altliough the enumeration 



' For a full discussion of the food of hawks and owls, based on an examination of 

 nearly :i,000 stomachs, see A. K. Fisher, ' Hawks and Owls of the United States', Bull, 

 .'i, Div. Ornith. an<l Mamm., 1893; ' Hawks and Owls from the StaudiJoiut of the 

 Farmer', Yearbook IViit. Agr., 1894, pp. 215-232. 



■■' Bull. Hawks and Uwls, p. IIG. 



