184 PROCEEDINGS OF TWENTY-SIx'tH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



The young of the year are without any of the rufous under-parts, and 

 are dashed only with dark brown. 



In some States bounty laws have been passed for the scalps of hawks 

 and owls. Pennsylvania, in 1885, passed such an act, which cost her 

 in just nine months the sum of $90,000. Now compare this with the 

 aggregate amount of damage done to crops by rodents and insects in 

 that same State annually, which is about $5,000,000. This may seem a 

 large sum, but is only a drop to what other States have suffered, such 

 as Illinois, which lost $73,000,000 in 1864 by the ravages of the chinch- 

 bug. Missouri, by the same bug, in 1874, lost $19,000,000. 



Other useful hawks we have in our State are Swainson's, the red- 

 bellied, and the little falcon, known as the desert sparrowhawk. This 

 latter species is often blamed for the depredations of the sharp-skinned 

 hawk. The sparrowhawk feeds entirely on insects, such as beetles, 

 grasshoppers, mole crickets, field mice, and lizards. Its favorite look- 

 out is from any fence-post or a cross bar of a telegraph pole. They can 

 be easily recognized from other small hawks by (male) dark, slate- 

 colored wings, a hood of the same color, with a crown of chestnut-red; 

 the whole back barred with black; breast, reddish-white, striped or 

 spotted with black; tail barred with same colors. The female is chest- 

 nut-brown on back and wings, lighter on breast, barred with a darker 

 color; tail, the same. Both sexes have white cheeks and a black mark 

 running down from the front and back of the eye. Legs, yellow. 



A few words as to the benefits derived from the owls (Strig^das) by 

 the farmer and orchardist. The barn owl takes precedence, as being 

 most beneficial about the orchard, field, or farm buildings. They will 

 destroy more rodents in one night's hunt than a dozen cats; six mice 

 and two or three gophers being a small bag for one owl and its brood. 

 Gophers go largely to make up their diet, and it is not uncommon to 

 find five or six in their nesting or roosting places in hollow tree limbs 

 or even in holes in steep banks. The general color of the barn owl is 

 ocherous-yellow, more or less speckled or marbled with black. The 

 eyes are black, and the feet are feathered to the toes. 



One of the smaller, cat-like owls, known as the California screech owl, 

 of mottled gray and black, spends much of its time among the orchard 

 trees and stubs catching great numbers of small mammals, crickets, 

 beetles, and other insects. Out of 255 stomachs examined of this little 

 Scops, 91 contained mice, 100 had insects, and 43 were empty, showing 

 the amount of good they do among our trees. 



Other species of owls beneficial are the burrowing owl, short-eared 

 and long-eared owls. The former is seen about the holes of squirrels, 

 and has the odd habit of trying to screw its head off if you pass around 

 it. This owl occupies an important place on the farm in keeping 

 down small rodents. The short-eared and long-eared owls are great 



