Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-06-18
HOW BIRDS OF PREY HUNT.
Wonderful Powers of vision-Thei
Value TO Farmers.

HOW BIRDS OF PREY HUNT.
Wonderful Powers of vision-Their
Value to Farmers.
The eye of the bird of prey Is prob
ably the most perfect organ Of sight
that exists, says a writer in The World
To-day.
Most marvellous Of all Is the sight
which enables the owl to strike the
mouse in the darkness or to pursue
and capture the bat which we can
scarcely see, even in early twilight.
The talons Of some Of the larger
birds Of prey are extremely strong.
The feet Of the osprey make splen-
did fish trap, one from which no fish
can escape when once caught.
The great curved talons of the eagle
are most effective, and are certainly
stronger than those Of all other birds.
When they once close on an object,
the clutch is so tight that it can
scarcely be loosened unless the birds
leg be severed The strong claws are
not only used in catching food, but are
used also in carrying nesting material.
If, instead of killing its prey. spe-
cies of bird Is accustomed to feed on
carrion, this change is clearly reflect
ed in the weaker muscles Of the feet
and in shorter and duller claws.
Many people have thought that buZ-
yards have an unusual sense Of smell
Of
tory in search Of food, but many years
ago 1t was proved that sight is the
principal factor in guiding the bird
Of prey.
Audubon made careful experiments
with a black vulture. The dry, stuff
ed skin Of a deer which he placed In
the field soon attracted a vulture. AL
though there was no smell Of flesh and
nothing eatable about 1t, the bird lit
and began tugging at the dry skin.
Later when the same bird circled over
the field, it espied a small snake, not
thicker than a mans finger, and
pounced upon It,
In another case the decayed car
brush so that it was invisible. 1t re-
mained undiscovered by the vultures
| that frequently passed over the place
| by accident, although the stencil was
very strong.
The sparrow hawk, Is perhaps, the
best known Of our birds Of prey, as
it ranges through the entire country.
Contrary to what the name might
signify, this bird lives almost exclu-
sively on insects except where such
food is difficult to obtain.
Upon the treeless plains and hills
throughout the west 1t Is a common
sight to see these little falcons beating
along over the waste, frequently
swerving upward in flight and coming
to a dead stop, as they hang sus-
pended in the air with rapid wing
beatings, looking for prey. In local
tiles where grasshoppers are abundant
these hawks will congregate and
gorge themselves continually.
During the winter, about the San
Francisco bay region where the En-
glish sparrows are plentiful, the spar
row hawk sometimes comes into the
towns and captures a sparrow from
q flock. The red-tailed hawk is Of
ten called chicken hawk, but he does
not deserve the name. Many of the
hawks carry undeserved regulations.
In regions and in seasons when ami
NAL and insect food is scarce, this
hawk will catch chickens and game
birds, but 1t lives mostly on mice and
shrews as we'll as frogs, snakes, liz
ards and insects of various kinds. In
prairie and hilly country almost its
entire food Is squirrels, gophers,
meadow mice and rabbits.
The osprey is one of our noblest
birds of prey. He hunts about over
entirely on fish.
A fish, as seen by one looking down
into the water from above Is very de-
ceptive owing to the refracted light.
When the fish seems to be foot un-
der the surface, he is often three or
four feet. But the osprey, lowering
over on poised wing, drops like
plummet, often completely disappear
| ing beneath the surface, and, in
spite Of the rapidity with which fish
can move, this bird is generally sue
cessful in capturing 1t.
In the mountainous regions Of the
west one may occasionally see the
golden eagle hunting for his prey.
During the summer Of 1904 we made
several visits to the aerie Of one or
these big birds and found that a very
large proportion of the eagles food
supply consisted of ground squirrels
with an occasional rabbit and quail.
On one trip we found the bodies of
four ground squirrels lying on the rim
of the nest.
The hills in many places were per-
forated with the burrows of the
ground squirrels, and the eagles SEEM
ed to have regular watch towers on
the high racks from which they
swooped down upon their quarry. If
# we're not for the birds Of prey about
these hilly districts the places would
soon be overrun with harmful rodents.
AS a family the owls are among the
most beneficial of all birds from the
economical standpoint Of the agri-
culturist. With few exceptions, the
owls are nocturnal. Their eyes and
ears are remarkably developed and
are keenest in the early hours OF the
night and morning.
Many harmful rodents are most ac-
tive in their search for food during
the night, and the owls are the natu-
raj check for this multitude. The
hawk hunts by day and the owl by
night and the work of one supple
ments that Of the other