﻿Notes on Food of Raptorial Birds. 



63 



rather astonishing that our resident species are enabled to find 

 subsistence during very severe winter weather. I was much inter- 

 ested during the winter of 1883 and 1884, in the visits of some of 

 our familiar species to the very fat body of an Emu, which I had 

 skinned and securely fastened in the limbs of tree near a window in 

 my workshop. This body remained from November to April, and 

 was visited by the following species : crow, blue jay, golden-winged 

 woodpecker, downy woodpecker, blue-bird, white-bellied nut-hatch, 

 tufted titmouse, Carolina titmouse, great Carolina wren, brown tree- 

 creeper, and golden-crested kinglet. All of these fed on it. The 

 jays and Carolina titmice were the most frequent visitors ; they would 

 eat their fill about every two or three hours. I have seen several spe- 

 cies feeding on it at the same time. The European sparrow and car • 

 dinal grosbeak, though they frequented the tree, were not observed 

 to eat any of it. I scored the fat with a knife so they could pull it off 

 easily when frozen. The carcass presented a curious sight when I 

 took it down, being nearly worn out. This year I hung up the 

 body of a fat Grebe, but this did not seem to be as much liked as 

 the Emu, as only a single crow and several jays and titmice have 

 been observed to dine on it. However, birds are not nearly as 

 abundant this season as last, in Avondale. I give in a brief 

 manner the result of the dissection of the bodies of the following 

 species, from my note-book of 1884 and 1885 : 



Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus). 



Dec. 4, 1884. Male. Filled with grasshoppers. Bird killed near 

 Winton Place. 



Nov. 13, 1884. Male. The stomach was filled to distention 

 with grasshoppers ( Caloptenus femer rubnan). 



Dec. 2. Male. Filled with grasshoppers and mice. Several 

 others examined during winter, contained mice. 



The'remarkable fact here is, that this species feeds on grasshop- 

 pers, and can find them as late as Dec. 4th. 



Bald Eagle (Haltaetus leucocephalus). 

 Nov. 10. Young female contained fish. ■ 



Jan'y 15. Young (very large) female contained balls of rat-hair. 



