The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-10-02
HOW BIRDS oF PREY HUNT.

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 the early twi-
light
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 GER
talnly stronger than those OF all 9TH
er birds. When they once close on
an object, the clutch Is so tight that
II 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
II, instead of killing its prey,
species of bird Is accustomed to feed
| On carrion, this change Is clearly re-
hected in the weaker muscles OF the
feet, and in the shorter and duller
J claws.
Many people have thought that
buzzards have an unusual sense of
smell that guides them over miles of
territory in search of food, but many
years ago II was proved that sight Is
the principal factor in guiding the
bird of prey.
| Audubon made careful experiments
with black vulture. The dry, stuffed
skin of deer which he placed out In
the field soon attracted 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 cir
cled over the field 1t espled a small
snake, not thDker than mans fin
ger, and pounced upon 1t.
In another case the decayed car
cass of hog was covered with brush
so that 1t was invisible. 1t remained
undiscovered by the vuitures that fire.
| quently passed over the place by ac-
cident, although the stencil was very
strong.
The sparrow hawk is perhaps the
best known of our birds of prey, as 1t
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 it is a common
| ct fn foil
ing along over the waste frequently
swerving upward in fight and coming
to a dead stop, as they hang sus-
pended in the Air with rapid wing
beats looking for prey. In localities
where grasshoppers are abundant,
these hawks will congregate and
gorge themselves continually.
During the winter, about the San
Francisco Bay region where the Eng
lish sparrows are plentiful, the spar
row hawk sometimes comes into the
towns and captures sparrow from
fock. The red-tailed hawk is often
called chicken hawk, but he does not
deserve the name. Many of the hawks
carry undeserved regulations.
In regions and in seasons, when
animal and insect food is scarce, this
hawk will catch chickens and game
birds, but 1t lives mostly on mice and
shrews as well as frogs, snakes, liz-
ards and insects of various kinds. In
q 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
the rivers and lakes, living almost en-
tirely 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 below the surface, and in spite
of the rapidity with which a fish can
move this bird is generally successful
In capturing it.
In the mountainous regions of the
| NtSt OuS may OcCaSlOHdlls see the
golden eagle hunting for his prey.
| During the summer of 1904 we made
several visits to the aerie of one of
these big birds and found that 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
seemed to have regular watch towers
IN the high rocks from which they
swooped down upon their quarry.
IL it were not for the birds of prey
about these hilly districts, the places
would soon be oyerrrn with harmful
rodents.