﻿Notes on Food of Raptorial Birds. 



65 



Sharp-Shinned Hawk (Accipiter fuscus). 

 Jan'y 18. A sharp-shinned hawk, a male, pursued a European 

 sparrow into a store on Third Street, this city, and captured the 

 sparrow inside the store. The door was closed and the hawk 

 secured alive. 



SCREECH-OWL (ScOpS Asto). 



This species has been unusually abundant ; very many have been 

 examined. I enumerate a few of these. 



April 10. Male. Filled with insects, mostly beetles. 

 May 22. Female. Contained beetles. 



'Oct. io. Eight owls, in all of which were insects, mostly 

 beetles. 



Nov. 8. One owl contained millipedes. 

 Nov. 24. One owl, male, contained insects. 

 Dec. 5. One owl contained mice. 

 Dec. 11. One owl contained mice. 



Jan'y 13. One owl contained thirteen large larvae, commonly 

 called cutworms (larvae of Agrotis), and several millipedes. 



Jan'y 25. One owl contained mice and one European sparrow. 



These little owls are very beneficial birds. They seem to feed on 

 insects, in preference to anything else, if they can get them. I have 

 been puzzled to tell, where the owl of January 13th obtained the 

 cutworm larvae. The bird seemed to be a resident, as its feathers 

 were soiled with black coal soot, commonly seen on the birds that 

 linger long in the vicinity of the city. The raptorial birds are 

 almost always very fat, proving they take good care of themselves. 



Note. — Since the reading of this paper, the letter appended has 

 been received. It explains itself: 



Circleville, March 5, 1885. 



Mr. Charles Dury : 



Dear Sir — I noticed a report in yesterday's Daily Enquirer, of a 

 paper read by you before your Society of Natural History, on Ra- 

 pacious Birds. 



Allow me to add some testimony to our much needed knowledge 

 of birds of this class. 



For many years I have personally known the value of our large 



