SPARE THE HAWK.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1876, 9 April 1889, Page 4

SPARE THE HAWK.

Unintelligent, thoughtless criticism is one of the weak points of agriculturists here as elsewhere. Experience even does not teach as it ought, because the taught will not observe and note results. In the United States this is a State duty, and is faithfully performed to the great advantage of all concerned, as may be inferred from the following extract from a country paper:— The report of the Commissioner of Agriculture for 1887, recently issued, includes a report of the Assistant Ornithologist of the Department, Dr A. K. Ksher, on the food of hawks and owls. This is based on the examination of 1072 stomachs of these rapacious birds, and will prove of special interest to farmers, In Massachusetts, for instance, the three commonest large hawks are the marsh—usually seen flying low over meadows and marshes, and conspicuous for its white rump—and the red-tailed and the red-shouldered hawks. The two latter are most often noticed soaring high in air, and among people generally are known as " hen hawks," implying that they prey upon poultry. Doctor Fisher and his associates examined the stomachs of 311 red-tailed hawks, with the following results:—2s contained poultry, 4 contained quail, 5 contained crows, 35 contained other birds (sparrows, etc.), 203 contained mice, 55 contained other mammals, and 24 contained insects. Of red-shouldered hawks 102 stomachs were examined. Out of this number only one contained poultry, while 61 contained mice, 20 other mammals, and 40 contained insects. No farmer ought to be long in deciding that such " hen hawks " as these are friends rather than enemies. Two hundred and three stomachs of the red-tailed hawks contained 270 mice. Such efficient farmhands may surely bo spared a chicken or two now and thou.—Paso Eoblee Moon.