FRANK B. COOMBS. 



^57 



The often more than compensating good which some of 

 these birds do is of a nature to escape his sight, however, 

 and the comparatively few species which are of more harm 

 than benefit, give a bad character to many species of similar 

 appearance which are eminently beneficial in their relation 

 with the farm. 



A recent Bulletin of the Agricultural Department, treat- 

 ing of the " Hawks and Owls of the United States," is based 

 upon extensive examination into the general habits and 

 actual stomach contents of hundreds of individual birds from 

 all localities, and throws a new light upon their status in 

 farm economics. To be brief, the work clearly proves that 

 of all the Hawks and Owls upon which the wrath and buck- 

 shot of the farmer are expended, but six species are harm- 

 ful, and of the six, " three are so rare that they need hardly 

 be considered." 



Even the Crow, perhaps the most universally hated of 

 birds, has been, after careful study, placed in the category of 

 malefactors by but a slight excess of harmful over useful 

 activities. 



It is undoubtedly too much too ask of the farmer that he 

 shall become sufficiently a field ornithologist to discriminate 

 on sight between closely similar hawks or other birds. His 

 direct vengeance is ordinarily exercised toward feathered 

 invaders " taken red-handed." He gives little time to de- 

 liberate pursuit of birds of any sort ; yet he can be wisely 

 cautious when he is asked to support enactment of laws 

 which offer bounties for their destruction. His influence in 

 this way can be certain and effective, for the history of such 

 bounties has more than one instance of costly mistakes. 



We are but beginning to gain a fairly clear idea of the 

 complex reactions between various forms of organized life, 

 and the unforeseen ways in which these mutual influences 

 hold one another in check. Human intervention with this 

 machinery is quite apt to bring about undesirable accidents, 

 worse than the evils eliminated. Allusion may be made to 



