246 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off; Doc: 
head of this bird would, there is little doubt, result in the slaughter 
of thousands of small beneficial wild birds that would be killed as 
English sparrows. 
The woodpeckers, especially the smaller species, those that are 
popularly yet erroneously termed “sapsuckers,” which visit the 
orchards to seek the hidden insects and their larvae, are often con- 
demned and destroyed because, it is claimed, they come for the 
purpose of injuring the trees by feeding on the sap. 
Birds of Prey. 
Nearly twenty different kinds of hawks, eagles and owls are 
found regularly in Pennsylvania, and of all the numerous species 
of bird-life occurring in this Commonwealth, few, if any, are better 
known to our people in general than are these birds, some of which 
are common at all times or during some period of the year, in every 
section of the State. Hawks and eagles generally build large nests 
of slicks, twigs, etc., on trees; some, however, nest on rocky ledges. 
The March Hawk breeds on the ground and the little Sparrow Hawk 
breeds in hollow trees. 
The eggs, usually two to five in number, sometimes more, are gens 
erally spotted and blotched. They are never spherical and white, 
like the eggs of owls. The adult males are usually smaller than 
the females and with the exception of the Marsh and Sparrow 
Hawks, are quite similar in color. The young or immature birds, 
of most species, differ greatly from the old. These birds catch their 
prey with their talons. Their eries are loud and harsh. Ocecasion- 
ally they are seen in flocks which sometimes contain several species 
and numerous individuals—but usually these birds are observed 
singly or in pairs. 
Ten species of owls are attributed to the fauna of Pennsylvania. 
Some are common residents in all parts of the State; others breed 
in boreal regions and are found with us as irregular or accidental 
winter visitants. The little screech owl, dressed in his coat of red, 
or gray, or a mixture of both, is one of the most common and best 
known birds of this group. He is found in cities and towns as well 
as in the rural districts. In the hollow limbs of trees in old apple 
orchards he delights to conceal himself in daytime, and also to rear 
his family. He often is found about barns and other buildings, 
where he goes in the daytime to hide, or frequently at night to eateh 
mice, one of his main articles of livelihood. The Great Horned Owl 
inhabits the woods, but on the approach of night he goes out in 
quest of food. His visits to the poultry yard are so common that he 
also is familiar to residents of the country, where he is usually 
known from his loud cries as “Hoot Owl.” The Barn Owl, a south. 
ern bird, breeds sparingly and most frequently in the southern parts 
