NATURAL HISTORY. 



301 



recently talked had noticed this queer 

 streak. "My method," he said, "is to fol- 

 low every bird I scare up. If I can only 

 keep on its track it is pretty sure to do 

 something foolish in the end." Of course, 

 if the grouse was never shot except in a 

 sportsmanlike manner, on the wing, these 

 weaknesses would not count so heavily 

 against it, but unfortunately it seems the 

 rule to shoot them whenever and wherever 

 seen. As a consequence the birds are 

 diminishing at a rate that points to theii 

 speedy extinction. 



Does the grouse possess the power oi 

 scent in sufficient degree to warn it of 

 danger? It is not generally so considered; 

 nevertheless, I believe it is the case. I have 

 repeatedly had birds show every sign of 

 suspecting my proximity, when it seems 

 impossible that they could have seen or 

 heard me. I should like to see this subject 

 discussed in Recreation. 



John L. Woodbury, Cornish, Me. 



WHAT HAWKS ARE THESE? 



" There are at least 2 kinds of hawks here 

 that are exceedingly destructive to game 

 and poultry. One is medium sized, with 

 dark back and reddish brown breast. While 

 cut driving one afternoon in July I saw 

 one chase a prairie chicken into a ravine 

 and catch it. On driving the hawk away I 

 found the chicken partly hidden under a tuft 

 of grass and so frightened that it allowed 

 me to pick it up. I found only a few claw 

 marks in its back, so wrapping it in a blan- 

 ket I put it in the buggy and drove on a 

 mile or 2. Then I let it go, and it flew off, 

 as well as ever. 



On another occasion, while raking hay, I 

 noticed one of these hawks high in air, fly- 

 ing over a part of the meadow that had not 

 been cut. Suddenly it closed its wings and 

 dropped to the ground like a stone. I 

 lifted my rake and drove to the spot in 

 time to save the life of a prairie chicken 

 which he had caught. In less than 5 min- 

 utes he caught another, which I also saved. 

 A few minutes later I saw him pounce, 

 on a third chicken, nearly J / 2 mile distant. I 

 went over, drove the hawk away, and found 

 the chicken's skull torn off and part of 

 the head and neck eaten. 



The other kind of hawk I have mentioned 

 is also medium sized, with round, long, firm 

 body, rather pointed tail, sharp pointed 

 wings, dark gray back and light colored 

 breast, with small dark spots. I saw one 

 resting on a fence post near a slough where 

 I was shooting ducks one rainy day last 

 fall. Soon a small bunch of coots rose and 

 the hawk immediately followed them, 

 caught one on the wing, held it a moment, 

 then let go and it fell to the water dead, 



He followed the bunch and caught and 

 killed another before they settled in the 

 rushes. Then he went back to the bank 

 and waited again. This performance was 

 repeated several times during the afternoon 

 and 7 or 8 birds were killed by that one 

 hawk while I was there. He did not eat 

 any of them, but seemed to kill them out of 

 pure cussedness. Perhaps it was for sport; 

 if so, he was certainly a game hog. 



Twice I have seen these hawks dive at 

 full grown hens, and, striking them with 

 their wings or breast, I could not tell 

 which, knock them senseless, then pass 

 on for some distance, but finally circle back, 

 evidently with the intention of making a 

 meal of the victim. On both occasions, 

 however, I was there with my shot gun 

 and killed the hawks. They are the quick- 

 est on the wing of any hawks we have. 



C. J. Campbell, Engleoak, N Dak. 



These hawks must have been Cooper's 

 hawk, Accipiter cooperi, and the sharp 

 shinned hawk, Accipiter velox, both of them 

 feathered game hogs and murderers, de- 

 serving of no mercy. — W. T. H. 



WHAT KIND OF CAT WAS IT? 



While walking with a young beagle 

 through a wood in Munro county, Pa., last 

 July, I saw an animal cross the road ahead 

 of me. My dog was fairly well broken, but 

 when I took him to the track he only 

 growled and looked up at me in an un- 

 decided way. When I urged him on he 

 gained courage and followed the track 

 toward a valley filled with heavy timber. I 

 heard him barking furiously for a few 

 minutes, then he returned to me. He re- 

 fused to leave me again, but led me to a 

 small pine, and began to bark up the tree. 

 He soon found, however, that the game had 

 gone. Then, with renewed courage, he took 

 the track toward the big timber. I cut 

 across lots to a farm-house, borrowed a 

 rifle _ and returned. I could see the dog 

 making circles around a cluster of large 

 oak trees, apparently at fault. Looking up, 

 I saw an animal on a large limb about 60 

 feet from the ground. I took aim and fired. 

 With the report a huge cat fell to the ground 

 fatally wounded. Will some one tell me 

 what kind of cat it was? Its skin was 

 tawny yellow, with dark stripes on the 

 head and forelegs and dark spots on the 

 body. From nose to root of tail it meas- 

 ured just 4 feet, and the tail was 8 inches 

 long. It weighed 36 pounds, and was very 

 lean. Its tail and ears were tipped with 

 small tufts of hair. Head large and fierce. 

 It carried its body erect like a house cat ; 

 not crouching like the common wildcat. 

 R. J. Feltham, Olean, N. Y r 



