4 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 27, 1887. 



and Arvieola pinetorum. The hawks had been killed 

 because they had 'Killed' chickens and quail." 



We are fortunately in a position to furnish an authori- 

 tative statement of the stomach contents of thirteen 

 hawks, among which are the ten above referred to. All 

 these are from Montgomery county, Md., and were killed 

 between Jan. 5 and 14, 1887. 



4 ad. 



4 ad. 

 s ad. 



5 ad. 

 S ad. 

 ? ad. 



4 ad. 



5 im. 

 4 ad. 

 £ ~m. 

 £ ad. 

 £ im. 

 ? im. 



Species. 



B. 'boreal is. 

 K. boreal is. 

 B. borealis. 

 B. borealis. 

 B. borealis. 

 B. borealis. 

 B. boreal- s. 

 B. borealis. 

 B. borealis. 

 B. borealis. 

 R. liueatus. 

 B. lineatus. 

 A. cooper i.. 



Stomach Contents. 



1 pine mouse (Arvieola pinetoruui) 

 t meadow mice (Arvieola riparius) 



A. riparius and Hesperomys leucopus remains 



2 Mils museums, Arvi, & llesoeromys remains 



1 shrew (Sorex), 3 M. musculus, Arvi. remains 



2 A. riparius 



1 Sorex, g Arvieola riparius 

 8 Arvieola riparius 

 Stomach entirely empty 



3 meadow mice (A. lipaiius) 



2 M. musculus, 1 Ha sporomys. Arvi. remains 

 1 house mouse ( t vius musculus) 



Remains of quail (0. virgiuianus) 



A more careful examination, which will be made later, will 

 probably increase the total number of mice by half a dozen. 



Long-sared Owl.— "Homed Owh" "Cedar Owl." 

 Asio wilsonianus. Less. 



Date. 



4 ad. 

 s ad 



5 ad. 



4 ad 

 £ ad. 



5 ad. 

 t ad. 

 5 ad. 

 s ad. 

 s ad. 



t ad 



£ ad. 

 $ ad. 

 4 ad. 



Nov. 2J5i '80.. 

 Nov. 28, 'a'3.. 

 Dec. 5, '86... 

 Dec. 7, 'SG... 

 Nov. 10, VS.. 

 Dec. 10, '84. . 

 Feb. 23, 79.. 

 Feb. 23, '79.. 

 Feb. 21, '70.. 

 Feb. 33, \9... 

 Feb. 23, '79... 

 Feb. 23, '79... 

 Dec. 15, TO.,, 

 Nov. 22 ',9... 



Locality, 



Chester 

 Chestor 

 Chester 

 Chester 

 Chester 

 Chester 

 Chester 

 Chester 



Chester 

 Chester 

 Chester 

 Chester 

 Chester 



County, Pa- 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Fa... 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 

 Couuty, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 

 County, Pa... 



Field-mice 



X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 



X 

 X 

 X 

 X 



Short-eared Owl— "Grass Oivl," VSwamp Owl.'- 

 Asio accipitrinus. Pall. 



$ ad. 

 S ad. 

 S ad. 



4 ad. 



5 ad. 

 4 ad. 

 s yg. 



4 ad. 



5 ad. 



Date. 



Nov. 21, '85.... 

 Nov. 25, 'SC., 

 Nov. 27, '8.3..., 



Nov. 1, '85 



ITov. 7, '83 



Dec. 15, '83.. .. 



Jan. 4, m 



March 17, '82. 

 Dec. S, '80 



Locality. 



Chester County, Pa 



Chester County, Pa. 



Chester County, Pa 



Chester County, Pa 



Delaware Couuty, Pa 



Cecil County, Pa 



Delaware County, Pa 



Purchased at Pluli. mark' 

 Chester County, Pa 



3S I—ts 



X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 



Beetles 



ha^= 



Screech Owl. — "Bed Owl," "Gray Owl," "Sparrow Owl," 

 "Mouse Owl." Megascops asio. Linn. 

 First specimen from West Chester, Pa., the remainder from 

 Che ;t.er county. Pa. 



4 a, a d. 



i yim. 



s act .In. 



3 adJ 1.1 

 s ad. 



Date. 



Nov. 10, '83. 

 Nov. 27, '8th 

 Nov. 27. '83. 

 April 22, '86. 

 Auk. SO, '76.. 



an. *| AUE. -U. 10.. 



ad. JkDec. 5, ' iO. . . 

 ad. D\Nor. 2<j, '80. 

 3 ;id. NoTane 2, 'S!., 

 3 ad.j Ma'uno 30. '83. 

 1 ' zc. 20, '84,. 

 v. 1, '83.. 



Great-home, '86 



Mice. 



In- SpaT- 

 sects. rows. 



X 

 X 

 X 

 X 



Remarks. 



Field mouse 

 Beetles 



Grasshoppers and others 

 English eparrow 

 Beetles 



English sparrow 

 •Tuned hyemalis 

 Beetles and others 



.M'nlw^J Owl.— "Hoot Owl? "Big Owl," "CliicKen 

 )Ud tiom Dela-.va. ,., 7 „ -o,,,^ ^,. . 1 - r ,i nn „ (4 fc mp i 



Sex. 



Date. 



I last two from Chester county, Pa., and remaining 

 Kre county, Pa. 



Ve co 



'■**>. in. 'Sfi TV. 

 Prince Henry of B 



s act 



4 al. 



* yg- 



5 ad. 



s yg. 

 ? yg. 



^ygrs at Osb^ 



"x" 



April, '80.... 

 Mareu, '80.. 

 Sept., '78.... 

 Oct .§0, '82.. 

 Aug. 7, '79.. 

 Feb. 9, '70... 



Rab- 

 bit. 



Sm. I Field 

 birds mice. 



Remarks. 



Lepus sylvaticus 

 Chicken feathers 

 Chicken feathers 

 Remains of chicken 



Blackbird, Q. purpur- 

 [eus 



White Owl— "Snow Owl," "Arctic Owl." 

 Nyctea nyctea. Linn. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Locality. 



Rab- 

 bit. 



Meat 



Remarks. 



4 ad. 

 s ad. 



Winter '79.. 

 Winter '79.. 



Chester County, Pa.. 

 Cnester County, Pa.. 



X 



X 



L. sylvaticus 

 Ap'ntly beef 



American Bam Owl.—"Monlicy-faced Oiol." 

 Strix pratincola. Bonap. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Locality. 



Field Mice 



9 ad. 

 3 ad. 

 3 ad. 



Nov. 14, '80 



Sept. '82 



Chester County, Pa 



Philadelphia County, Pa.. . . 



X 

 X 



Barred Owl,— "Hoot Oivl," "Big Gray Owl." 

 Syrnium nebulosum. Forst. 

 All the owls in this table were taken in Chester county, Pa. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Field 

 mice. 



In- 

 sects. 



Poul- 

 try. 



Sm. 



birds 



Remarks. 



? ad. 



4 ad. 

 3 ad. 

 ? ad. 

 3 ad. 



5 ad. 



Oct. 28, '73.. 

 Nov. 17, '79.. 

 Jan. 11, '81 . . 

 Jan. 20, '83.. 

 Jan. 12, VI.. 

 Jan., '80.... 



X 



X 







Beetles 



'%" 

 X 



"x" 



X 



X 



"x" 



X 



X 



"x" 



Beetles & rob. Merula 

 Chicken featl ers 

 Lark. Sturaella magna 

 Beetles& chick.fehh'rs 













From these tables the Committee of the West Chester 

 Microscopical Society concluded that with rare exceptions 

 the hawks are beneficial rather than prejudicial to the 

 farmer, the small amount of damage done being groatly 

 overpaid by the destruction they cause of animal and in- 

 tects injurious to the farmer. 



The observations of the habits of owls indicate that they 

 are particularly beneficial. . 4 



The Committee also made inquiries of the Commic- 

 sioners of the different counties as to the number of biids 

 and mammals that have been kills 1 and for which 

 bounties had been paid, and received answers up to July 1, 

 last, from thirty-four counties. The number of hawks 

 killed and reported up to that date was 9,2b J , at an expense 

 of $7,305.10, and of owls 2,499 at an expense of $1,803,90. 



In many cases, however, the fees of the magistrates 

 were not included, but merely the bounties paid on the 

 birds. The bounties raised for minks, weasels, foxes and 

 wildcats, raised the sum reported to $15,165.95. 



As the time included in the returns does not come down 

 to date, and as only 34 cut of 67 counties made reports, it 

 is believed by the Committeo that the counties pay 

 annually not less than $50,000, under the law of l88i>, of 

 which the largest part is paid for the destruction of hawks 

 and owls. That they are the best friends of the farmer, 

 and that their destruction is to him a great disadvantage, 

 the Committeo thinks that it has already shown, by the 

 letters of eminent ornithologists in its report of March 4, 

 last. 



The results of these examinations should certainly in- 

 duce those who have been prejudiced against hawks and 

 owls to modify their sweeping condemnation of these birds. 



At the meeting of the Linnsean Society of New York, 

 held on Friday evening, Jan. 21, there was a general dis- 

 cussion of the food habits of hawks and owls, preceded by 

 a paper read by Mr. L. S. Foster, entitled "A contribution 

 to our knowledge of the food of hawks, owls, jays and 

 crows." 



Mr. Foster drew bis data from reports recently sent him 

 from twenty-five American ornithologists widely scattered 

 over this country, and evidently brought to his work an 

 unprejudiced mind. 



The following tables contain some of tho testimony he 

 presented, and the results of his investigation of the food 

 of hawks and owls lead those present to a high apprecia- 

 tion of the service of these birds in behalf of the agricul- 

 turists, and the belief that few specic3, if any, deserve the 

 contents of the farmer's gun. 



FoocZ of North American Hawlis, derived from records of 

 examined stomachs and nests. 



Food. 



Beetles 



Birds 



Caterpillars 



Centipedes 



Chickens 



Clapper rail 



Crayfish 



Crickets 



"Darning needles" 



Fross 



Grassnoppers 



Gophers 



Ground dove. 



Horned lark 



Insects 



Lizards 



Moles 



Oven bird 



Pigeon • 



Porcupine 



Poultry 



Robins 



Snrew 



Snakes 



Suiders , 



Squirrel 



Toad 



"Tobacco worms" 



f i 



53! W 

 Sg, Wo 



Food of North American Owls t derived from records of 

 examined stomachs and nests. 



Food. 



1 American Barn 1 

 Owl | 



American Long- 



CD 



o 



a 



6 

 % 







Q 



: o 

 ' a 

 : p 







5" 



w 

 O 

 -] 



Beetles 





'x 







X 







Bugs 



X 























X 

 X 











X 

 X 

 X 





Fish..,.. 

























X 





















X 

 X 





X 













X 

 X 

 X 















X 



X 



X 



X 

 X 















X 





X 

 X 

 X 











X 















X 





X 













That the prejudice felt against hawks by many farmers 

 is not universal is shown by a communication in the 

 Cultivator and Country Gentleman as follows: 



Samuel Miller states in the Rural World that he had a 

 young orchard in clover, and tho mice being abundant 

 there was much anxiety f cr the safety of the trees on the 

 approach of winter. But several hawks were observed 

 there every day. swooping do wn into the dried clover and 

 reducing the mice. With this aid from the hawks, clear- 

 ing the grass away from the trees, and treading down the 

 newly fallen snow about the stems, not one of the fifty 

 trees was injured. Not every one can command the as- 

 sistance of these valuable birds, but every owner of young 

 orchards may adopt the two last-mentioned remedies. 

 We have seen over one thousand young trees in an orchard 

 girdled in three days under a fresh fall of snow, and those 

 who have not protected their trees with smooth solid 

 mounds of earth should take the next best remedy. 



New Brunswick Caribou. — Fredericton, N. B., Jan. 

 19.— Henry Turnbull, who is engage:l in hauling spruce 

 logs on the Taxis, a branch of the Miramichi River, fifty 

 miles from this citv, on the 10th of this month, eaw a, 

 herd of six caribou on his logging road; only one had 

 horns. Where he is working, at this season, these animals 

 remain about the banks of "brooks running through low 

 lands where such streams have overflown their ordinary i 

 channels and thus consolidated the snow, which is now >, 

 oft. deep on the level in that part of the country, thus 

 enabling them to walk with greater ease than m the 

 deeper snow on the rid ;es. On the same day on which 

 Turnbull saw these six caribou, the man who was engaged 

 in chopping at the browse on the stream saw two more. 

 Turn bull also says that sable are more than ordinarily 

 plentiful where he is at work. His men who are engaged 

 in chopping take their dinner with them, and when noon 

 comes, kindle a fire and boil their tea kettle after the 

 fashion of the northern woodsmen, and eat their dinner 

 of bread and pork. When they return to the same place 

 the next day they generally find that a sable has been 

 there during the night and gathered up any fragments 

 that may have been loft. The caribou seems to have 

 different times for shedding its horns; a very reliable 

 friend of the writer on Feb. 7 last, saw, on Mount Katah- 

 din, in the State of Maine, four of these animals with 

 large horns.— Ed ward Jace. 



Poor "Robin A Dare."— The notes of "Robin A Dare" 

 in your issue of last week were rather far-fetched as 

 regards Lockport, inasmuch as about the same hour that 

 the paper arrived here poor Robin was handed to me by 

 a gentleman who had seen him drop in his yard, and on 

 going to it found he was dead. The verdict given was 

 "that poor Robin had otarved to death," as there was 

 nothing in his crop (and what was worse he had no crop). 

 But the probability is that he froze to death, as he was in 

 good condition, weighing 2^oz. He had (a) dared too 

 much when he essayed to brave the rigors of our western ' 

 New York winter. There is no doubt that the few that 

 remain here find enough crumbs and scraps thrown into 

 the yards to eat. But a few mornings since, I saw one 

 feeding in my yard before it was fairly light, showing 1 

 that hi winter as in summer, they go on the principle: 

 "that the early bird catches the worm." And I do not I 

 know of a bud that is earlier abroad than the robin.— J. I 

 L. Davison, (Lockport, N. Y., Jan. 17). 



Tee English Sparrow.— The State Farmers' Institute 

 held its first session in this city last week, and among, 

 the most important questions asked was "what was to be 

 done with the English sparrow? ' The answer was "kill 

 them." It was a good resolution, and should be carried 

 out. Winter is the time to do it, when there are no othei 

 birds about to be disturbed, and now, when they are in 

 flocks cf thousands, as I saw them yesterday and to-day 

 flying from place to place about the city, and as I se£ 

 them gathered together about this time every year. Thil 

 winter the flock is double what it was a year ago, and a 

 there is nothing dene, what will it be five years from 

 now? I certainly think it is of more importance to th»! 

 farmers than anv other question raised during the ses* 

 sions of tho Institute. — J. L. Davison (Lockport, N. Y,)". 



Habits of the Beaver. — Cache Creek, B. C.—Edito 

 Forest and Stream: In locking through one of Messrs 

 Routledge's publications i no! iced an article on Nov: 

 Scotia, by Lieut. -Gen. A. W. Dray son, R. A., in whic.^ 

 the following passage occurs: "Two pine trees, growim 

 side by side, will be cut down by the beavers' sharp teeth 

 the trees are counterparts of each other; the beaver 

 will devote half au hour to running over one tref 

 which they then will drag into the water and it wij 

 sink; they will then drag the other tree in the water anl 

 it will float." The writer, as authority for this statemenJ 

 which he evidently believes to be a fact, cites certain Lr 

 dians and French Canadians. Can you or any of you 

 readers acquainted with the habits of the beaver, thro' 

 any fight upon this curious matter? — R. M. C. 



Opossums on Long Island. — Roslyn, L. I., Jan. 22.^: 

 A few evenings since, one of my boys met a 'possum : 

 the middle of the highway, and only a short distanq 

 from the house. The 'possum did not attempt to retreat 

 but faced the boy, who hit him a whack with a stic3| 

 picked him up by the tail , and bi ought him to the hout 

 alive; the animal weighed lllbs. Wo cooked him, aE 

 don't want any more. Since September last more than 

 dozen 'possums have been taken in this vicinity. Tin pi 

 are getting more numerous from year to year. — Til oil 

 Clapham. 



A Woodpecker's Nest.— Philadelphia.— When in tl 

 country two weeks ago I found a woodpecker's he 

 (deserted, of course) made in rather an odd way 

 large limb had been split from the trunk of a trc 

 some distance, and where the opening was about i 

 wide tho bird had bored its hole from the heart to 

 the outside about four inches and then downwa 

 usual. The hole was about llin. in diameter and 

 (supposed) 18in. — H. Lobee. 



IllliH- 



Michigan Winter Bird Notes.— Grand Rapids, 

 Jan. 19. — Several species of birds have been seen t 

 late which are uncommon in this locality in nikh 

 They are: Several snipe, Dec. 24; cne meadowlar) 

 30; "one woodcock, Jan. 1; one red-headed wood) 

 Jan. 3; one red-shouldered hawk, Jan. 6. Several 

 seen singly the first part of Jauuary. The : 

 temperature for the first ten days of this month ai 

 was S* .— E. L. Mosely. 



Recent ArtnivAns at the Philadelphia. Zoologk 

 den.— P. r chased— :? polar bears (Crs us marltimut), 1 r 

 ■wallaby (Hulmaturua hUiardicr'), 1 black wallaby (H 

 ivaiohatiii),l black-striped wallaby (Hal maturns Comai!.' 

 tailed kangaroos (Pct)Mffale pen'ciuat'), 1 aottdad (At) 

 Wtt,0, and C undalated grass parrakeets (MeXnmitttt 

 latus). Presented— 1 white-throated capucia (Celms h 

 1 white-nosed coati (Nama varica), 1 opossum (albin 

 pliys viroiniana), 1 solenodon (S'Aenouon cubanws), I lo* 

 bus torguatm), and 2 red-talleu hawks (J3. borealis calun 



it 



nit 



