Page 247 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

ECONOMIC VALUE OF BIRDS 225
THE barn owl
Wonderfully Destructive of Rats and Mice, and Almost Never Touches Birds
stroyed, and only an occa- sional small bird. Its nearest relative, the Short- eared Owl {A. accipitrinus) may be described in the same words.
The Great Horned Owl fills us with conflicting passions. Forthelonglist of dead rats and mice, poc- ket gophers, skunks, and weasels to his credit, we think well of him, and wish his prosperity. For the song-birds, ruffed grouse, quail, other game birds, domestic poultry, squirrels, chipmunks and hares that he kills, we hate him, and would cheerfully wring his neck, wearing gauntlets. He does an unusual amount of good, and a terrible amountofharm. Itisim- possible to strike a balance for him, and determine with mathematical accuracy whether he should be shot or permitted to live. At all events, whenever Bubo
comes up for trial, we must give the feathered devil his due.
The names "Chicken Hawk or Hen Hawk" as applied usually refer to the Red-Shouldered or Red-Tailed species. Neither of these is really very destructive to poultry, but both are very destructive to mice, rats and other pestiferous creatures. Both are large, showy birds, notsoveryswiftinflight,andrathereasytoapproach. Neitherofthem
should be destroyed,—not even though they do, once in a great while, takeachickenorwildbird. Theypayforthem,fourtimesover,byrat- killing. Mr. J. Alden Loring states that he once knew a pair of red- shouldered hawks to nest within fifty rods of a poultry farm on which there were 800 young chickens and 400 ducks, not one of which was taken. (See the American Natural History, pages 229-30.)
Hawks that Should be Destroyed.—There are two small, fierce, daring, swift-winged hawks both of which are so very destructive that they deserve to be shot whenever possible. They are Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperi) and the Sharp-Shinned Hawk {A. velox). They are closely related, and look much alike, but the former has a rounded tail