Arizona republican., 1915-07-16
0F
 THE N|GHTHAWK
State Game Department En- gagged in Campaign of Education - Birds Are Useful Citizens and Pro tected by Law

Calling attention to the fact that the n!ghthawk is one of the most
 useful birds the state game depart
 ment has embarked on d campaiuu of education To prevent their slaughter { Persons who do not know the bird
 ana who have been shooting night
 hawks under the impression that they are d species of hawk. and therefore
 not protected are being notified that
 the minimum penalty for shootina,
 these birds is SlO.O0.
 According to information reaching
 the game warden's office a great
 many of these birds are being Killed
 by hunters who have no idea what they are killing. one man who was found with nighthawk he had just shot. by Deputy Warden Pettis, said he had shot the bird through ignor- ance and asked for more information as Co the description and habits.
 Many persons hunting on the desert shoot these birds thinking them al small species of hawk, or not Knowing just what they are. For the full in- formation of hunters and farmers the Following regarding the nighthawk. as compiled by the National Association of Audubon societies as given out yes terday:
 The Nighthawk, or Bull-bat is a bird which neither attracts attention ' hy the beauty of it's plumage nor the sweetness of it's song. IL Is about the size of q small hawk. with long point ed wings which have white spots on the under side Its name is a misnomer. for except a slight resem- blance when on the wing. il is en- tnrely unlike any species of hank. All the birds of prey are noted for their strong sharp hooked beaks and stout curved claws-points in which the NighthaWk differs notably.
 The Nighthawk. delights in long circling flights during the late after noon and early evening and at such times utters it's only note. which much resembles the scalp" of the Wood tcock While making these flights. it ] has a habit of taking sudden plunges l downward. making a quick curve up ward when near the earth, at which 1 time is heard a peculiar grooming sound supposed to be made by the
 rush of the wings through the air | One remarkable point about the nighthawk's anatomy is the size of its stomach. which is huge for so small
 a bird In capacity it exceeds that 'of the pigeon. whose body is twice as : large
 | IL is right here that the Night hakw's usefulness appears. This en- ormous stomach must be kept filled ! to supply motive power for the long wings which are kept in motion so many hours To facilitate this work, i nature has given the bird an immense mouth. which is really more like the mouth of a turtle or a frog than of a bird The food consists of insects
 taken on the wing. and so greedy
 is the bird that when food is plenty 1 it fills it's stomach almost to burst ling. To ascertain the character of the food taken. nearly three hundred stomachs have been examined by the | United States Biological Survey, with i interesting results one of the most conspicuous elements was flying ants. | The remains were found in large number of stomachs, in numbers rang
 ing from l to 1900.
 | While ants have at times a useful i function. they are for the most part
 annoying and harmful insects, and it is | evident that they would be much more numerous than they are were not their ranks so severly thinned by the attacks of the Nighthawks Moreover, these ants are killed at the most inn portant epoch of their lives, when