Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-08-20

per Figure, Adult Male; Lower Fig
ure, Immature Female.
goshawk. sparrow hawk. Audubon car
acara, barn owl. long-eared owl short
cared owl, great gray owl, barrel owl.
western owl, Richardson owl, Acadian
owl, screech owl. 1ammulated screech
owl. snowy owl, hawk owl. burrowing
owl. pygmy owl. ferruginous pygmy
owl and elf owl.
The class In which the harmful and
beneficial qualities balance includes
the golden eagle. bald eagle, pigeon
hawk, Richardson. hawk. Aplomado
falcon, prairie falcon and great horned
owl.
The harmful class comprises the
gyrfalcons. duck hawk. sharp-shinned
hawk, Cooper hawk and goshawk.
The rough-legged hawk and the fer
ruginous roughleg. or squirrel hawk.
as IL is sometimes called on account
OF its fondness for ground squarrels.
so destructive in the West, are among
our largest and most beneficial hawks
The former breeds wholly north of the
United States. migrating south in Sep
TENDER and October and remaining un-
til the following April. The latter
breeds extensively through the great
plains region. The winter range of
the roughleg ia determined more by
the fail OF snow than by the intensity
of cold. the main body advancing and
retreating as the barrier of snow melts
or accumulates. Meadow mice and
Jennings form the staple food of this
bird. Jennings do not reach our
territory, except In Alaska. but in the
north OF Europe they occasionally
form into vast, migrating. devastating
hordes, which carry destruction to
crops in the country invaded. The
vole, or meadow mouse. is common
in many parts of this country. and east
of the Mississippi river. without doubt
agriculture. II destroys meadows by
tunneling under them and eating the
roots of grass. This mouse also de-
stroys grain and various kinds of veg.
etables, especially tubers. but proba-
bly, does even more damage by grid
ling young fruit trees.
The roughleg 10 one of mans most
important allies against meadow mice
feeding on little else during it's six
months sojourn In the United States
it thus renders important service in
checking the rayages of these small
but formidable pests. The roughleg
is somewhat crepuscular In habits, be-
Ing on the alert during twilight and
early dawn, when small mammals are
most active. Other mice, rabbits and
ground squirrels are eaten occasion.
ally, and some oF the cider writer's
state that waterfowl are captured BY
this bird. but there Is no known in
stance of its attacking birds Stom-
achs OF specimens shot in locations
teeming with waterfowl contained
nothing but the remains of meadow
mice.
The ferrugincus roughleg Is as fully
beneficial as its relative, though the
character of its food differs some
what. In many parts of the country
inhabited by II. meadow mice. which
play such an important part In the
economy or the other bird, are scarce
or wanting. but are replaced by near.
ly as destructive rodents. the ground
squirrels. Upon these this large and
handsome hawk wages continuous war
fare, and great Is the service il per
forms in keeping their. numbers in
check. Rabbits. prairie dogs. and oc
casionally pouched gophers are eaten
The marsh hawk is one of the most
valuable on account of its abundance
wide distribution and habits. IL Il
more or less common throughout the
United States. and may be easily rec
ognized by its white rump. slendeI
form and long. narrow wings, as II
beats untlringly over the meadows
marshes and prairie lands in search
Of food. II It. were not that occasion