The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-08-02
HAWKS AND GROWS.

For some weeks I have had an oppor- tunity to compare the characters of the red d-shouldered hawk and the crow un- der practically the same conditions, and the differences are interesting and of- ten amusing,
 I took a fine young crow from the nest about the first of June, at which time he was fully feathered, but still
 unable to fly. He was given an empty room all to himself, and for several days was as stupid as only very young crows can be. At first he crouched on the floor in q corner, and refused to eat unless the food was pushed down his throat, but in a few days he began to cav loudly whenever he was hungry and opened his mouth wide to receive anything which might be dropped into it. This was a period of great inno- cence and confidence in mankind, and he was prepared to swallow, without question, anything which one chose to put into his mouth. No matter wheth- CT it was raw meat, earth worms, fruit or bread and milk, down it went with greedy gobbling sound, and the next irl- stant the big red throat yawned for more He soon found the use of his wings and roasted at night on the top of door.
 I had had him about two weeks when I received by express three young red shouldered hawks, also we'll feathered but unable to fly. They were half fan- ished when they arrived at the station, and when on their way to the house
 could hear their fierce cries while they were still over quarter of a mile dis tant. I put them into the same room with Satan. the crow. and the latter was frightened half to death with their screaming.
 He flew around the room time and again, scarcely daring to alight even for a moment upon his favorite perch, the cupboard door. I offered the hawks some raw beef and they ran at me and fairly snatched the food from my fin
 gers, swallowing it with several quick jerks of the head. If a piece of the meat was thrown upon the floor, the hawk nearest to it would rush upon 1t with his talons and run away into corner with it and devour it with his face to the wall. Here were several differences between the hawk and the crow. No matter how hungry Satan might be, he never snatched the food from my hand; he always waited. often | impatientIy for me to put it into ms mouth. Moreover, he always swallowed | it where he stood, instead of running away with it. The crow would eat al- most anything; the hawks would touch not hing but animal food.
 One morning l put a large garter snake into the room and instantly one
 of the young hawks bounced upon It, seizing it in his bill, meanwhile raising his wings in the air and screaming fierceiy. The snake struggled and snapped at his legs, but this seemed only to excite him the more, and ne would certainly have killed the reptile had I not liberated it before much dam- age was done A live frog was regarded | by the hawks as an object of curiosity | while it remained still, but the moment \ if iumped one of the fierce birds was upon it like a fury, striking it savagely l with one foot and quickly tearing it to
 pieces with his bill.
 | Rut it was evident that the frog s \ hitter skin was distasteful to the hawk, ! for each time after pecking at his vlc- \ ---- Tro,+;nua5 o, Gix+h papa