The sun., 1894-10-14
HAWKS MAKE BAD BREAKS.
HoRsTED ~ FIGHTS WITH MINKs,
CROWS, AND OTHER FOES.
Four MinEs AvenEe y Conrade-0usiI Pro-
tected by Crows-Prciudics Against Erg-
1Ish Spnrrows u,ong Birds Horned q wi

Four Minks Avenge - Cournde-0usu Pro.
tected by Crows-PreiudIcs Against Eng.
iIsh Spnrrows A uong Birds Horned Owl
SCRANTON, Oct 13.--while eating luncheon
under balsam tree on the bank Of Lye Greek
this summer Ellis Fassold. n trout fisherman OF
Sumach Ridge saw red-tailed hawk catch a
mink less than ten feet from where he was sit
ting. The bird had swooped noiselessly, and the
mink, which had been creeping along the edge
of the stream, gave vent TO piping squeals the
moment the hawks claws pierced Its hide II
chung to small root with It's paws, and the
hawk tapped its wings violently In vain en-
deavor to lift II.
The hawk tugged away. and pretty soon the
minks cries became fainter. but the little crea-
ture still hugged the root for dear life, seeming
To know that the hawk would sail away with II
II It let go. Its eyes bulgcd out as II clung and
quiyered, and the hawk kept beating the air
with its wings. when all of sudden four minks,
with water dripping from their glossy coats.
hoppcd upon the bank with cries OF anger and
fastened themselves under the wings of the ugly
bird. two on each side. The startled hawk vainly
tried to jerk it's talons from its victims hide. and
the four mnks hung like lccches and sucked the
cruel birds blood. The hawk presently pulled
two OF them from its flesh with its beak, but
they quickly set their teeth into its side again,
and the murderous bird became wild with pain
IL repeatedly screamed and fapucd It's wings. A
| moment later the mink became exhausted
and let go of the root. The hawk then shook
| Oft two of its tormentors and arose at once
half way to the tree tops with its prey. The
two other minks dropped from the hawk into
the creek, and the four assembled on the shore
and gave vent to piteous cries, as though they
were bemoaninG the fate of their little comrade
in the hawks claws. They skipped out OF sigh :
shortly. and Mr.. Fassold then noticed that the
hawk, which he supposed had flown away, was
lowering two hundred feet or so In the air, dl-
rectly over the stream. IL seemed to he unable
to soar. IL soon began to waver. and in n mo-
ment or two II came down end over end and
! landed in the middle OF the creek with splash,
and with its wings outspreah. Mr.. Fassold
/ found, when he waded out to Il, that the hawk
was dead from loss OF blood. The four mnks
| had tapped the birds veins in six places. Their
dead companion was still In tho hawks claws.
a bcvy OF quail on Farmer David X. Slater's
place in Gibson township would have been ex-
terminated by hawks this season II IL had not
/ been for the timely interference OF friendly
| flock OF crows The old quails and their broods
were quite tame through the summer. and Mr..
| Slaters folks took pains In various ways to en-
! August the bevy moved from a meadow 10 a
field of rye stubble on the Nat land. There large
that they SOON cot Wild down hsr n oTmsS Vl.eR heR
| took up their abode in q hillside Of oat stubble,
ne TeTS e tei hsMs % s
shy that they sought shelter under the dense
foliage of u thicket OF thorn whenever they hap
protection OF the thicket bafiied the hawk some
times but II kept on trying to capture the harm
At noon one day in the latter part OF August
| Mr. Slater saw the hawk dive near the thicket
1t had flown very high half dozen crows sailed
out OF the wood; with grea, racket and began
| TO hammer the hawk from all sides. They pun
lshed It terribly for several minutes, but 1t final
| ly broke through their ranks, and got away from
them by flying into the timber.
| On the following day the hawk caught n quail
between the thorn tree and the wood. The crows
quail destroyer, for no sooner had the hawk be-
gun to rise than lot of noisy black fellows few
and pitched into it. They drove it up and down
and back and forth In the air. and they jabbed
60 Of the 9uai The noise made made by 't the e paSne pug
eiops crows brought others from far away woods;
qE oF shs6 s nPa
L tum6lcd to the, ground from sheer .ex-
ture the hawk on the stnSSie 1H unti Mr. Slater
reached the spot Then they reluctantly sailed
OF 70 the woods, and he wrung the hawks
eyes with their bills, and had beaten the big
gray bird so hard and long that its back and
| A few days afterward another hawk attempted
to capture quail. It. didn't succeed and the
fully before It found shelter in the timber. Sew
eral times since then Mr. slater,s folks have
the quals by giving battle TO hawks in midair
over the field where the qnals were feeding. In
the past month the quails moved from one stub
BILE lot To another several times and wherever
they were feeding the neighborly crows watched
over them and protected them from their nat
:, In the summer hawk caught pet pigeon on
Samuel kenyon's farm in Eaton township. The
presence of the hawk caused great commotion
among the various colonies OF birds in the yard
robber found himself surrounded by an angry
mob OF kingbirds. martens, and wrens. They
AVA and they chIrped and sqnaiied as s"t thouSh
the hawk had murdered member of their own
e Snd bawS ,H
belligerent ktngbrds pursued and pounded the
ro5ner I'll they crippled him 50 badly that one
winged their way back TO the garden with songs
Of satisfaction. The pigeon was dead in the
rA,I.S few DAYS later pigeon hawk nailed an
had been nahbed. Mr.. Kenyon's folks were at
dinner, and the violent squalling Of the spar
rows over the loss Of one OF their mates made
was about. The hawk was sailing with fiut-
tering sparrow in one OF its claws, while
bunch of the captured birds nearest relatives
were chirpinG and darting at IL in a vain en-
deavor 10 force II 20 release It's prey. The quar-
relsome little English scamps got no assistance
or sympathy from the other birds, and, as they
were incapable of disabling the hawk, II reached
king. birds had been willing and eager to fsht
for the life OF peaceable pigeon, but To them a
utterly unworthy of succor in time OF trouble
Instead of pitching into the caDtor as they had
done in the case OF the pigeon. they fitted
through the foliage alighted on the buildings
fences and shrubbery, viewed the warike an
tics OF the sDarrows in pursuit OF the stealthy
hawk, and warbled, piped. and CarrOled cheer
fully, as IL they were gloating the inability
of the furious little English interlOpers Ia check
the speed OF the energetic and wide-awake ma
tive bird OF prey
Sebastian Tucker, who owns a rabbit warren |
on Nettle Hill, in Be-nice township, sullivan |
county, will not permit anybody to Kill hawks
On tl ms RrGpeTty vessels are the worst % enemies
experience that hawks gobble up eight weasels !
10 one rabbit in his breeding grounds. The |
hawks are in that way of benefit To him. and. as |
one is allowed 10 shoot at them, the far /
sighted birds have been on the lookout for weA- |
sells in the warren nearly every day this season.
In June Mr.. fuckers pointer pup Eli play yfully /
undertook TO snatch weasel from hawk that /
had swOoped down near where the puppy Was ,
capering. Mr. Tucker called 10 the young dog, /
but Eli continued To yRnk at the weasel. and The |
next thing Eli knew the hawk got mad and fas- |
tened claw in the tender hide his back. |
trhn hir,l,s srhhn, chnnre ~ frnnt ,,a. ,.ar,.