grasshoppers are abundant, such a Hne of poles is pretty well occupied by these 

 Hawks. In the vicinity of Washington, D. C, remarkable as it may appear to 

 those who have not interested themselves especially in the matter, it is the excep- 

 tion not to find grasshoppers or crickets in the stomachs of the Sparrow Hawks, 

 even when killed during the months of January and February, unless the ground 

 is covered \yith snow. It is wonderful how the birds can discover the half-con- 

 cealed, semi-dormant insects, which in color so closely resemble the ground or 

 dry grass. Whether they are attracted by a slight movement or distinguish the 

 form of their prey as it sits motionless, is difficult to prove, but in any case the 

 acuteness of their vision is of a character which we are unable to appreciate. 



''Feeding on insects so exclusively as they do, it is to be presumed that they 

 destroy a considerable number of beneficial kinds, as well as spiders, which they 

 find in the same localities as the grasshoppers. However, examination of their 

 stomach contents shows the number to be so small, compared with that of the 

 noxious species, that it is hardly w^orth considering. 



''In the spring, when new ground or meadow is broken by the plow, they 

 often become very tame if not molested. They fly dow^n, even alighting under 

 the very horses for an instant in their endeavor to capture an unearthed mouse 

 or insect." 



In speaking of its nesting habits, Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson says: "In the 

 Southern States the eggs are almost invariably laid in the abandoned nesting 

 cavity of the Flicker, a bird which is very abundant, particularly in the pine tree 

 regions. If undisturbed, the birds will often continue to use the hole year after 

 year until one or the other of the pair is killed. They appear to mate for life, 

 and even during the season when not employed in rearing young they display 

 an attachment somewhat unusual among birds. While not demonstrative in the 

 least at this period, they nevertheless remain in close proximity to each other, 

 feeding frequently in the same field and often roosting at night under the eave 

 of the same building. 



"The eggs are usually four, but sometimes five, in number. They exhibit a 

 wonderful variety of rich markings of various shades of brown, chocolate and 

 lavender. Frequently these spots and splotches show a marked tendency to 

 cluster in a circle around the larger end, but not infrequently this intensity of 

 marking is noticeably gathered about the smaller end. Now and then, but rarely, 

 an egg is found almost destitute of color decorations of any character except the 

 pale blue ground color of the shell." 



615 



