The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-06-15


where in open time they may be ls.
gslly taken.
Two years ago. when the woods had
been posted, bue the special law
had not been passed by the Legisla-
ture, had hired two Good Will boys
to work for me at ths Murray Tab
lets. heard voices over on the
Dartmouth Trail and finally the re-
port of a gun. / asked one OF the
boys to hustle over into the woods,
find the man. tell him that hunting
was forbidden there, and ask him his
name and where he lived. In due
time the boy returned and reported
| that he found two boys; the boys
had dog and gun They said they
lived in Fairfield village and that they
did not know hunting was forbidden
in those woods and they would not
hunt there any more and, il WANT
ED TO KNOW WHAT THEIR NAMES
WERE | WOULD HAVE TO FIND
OUT.
SPARROW HAWK
In the summer OF 1929, looking from
my office in the Prescott building at
! Good Will | saw sparrow hawk
poise for half minute, in the air,
some thirty feet above the ground
then drop perpendicularly into the
moving field, and fly away with some
thing in his talons., II was time for
the nests of meadow lark and ground
sparrow to be half full OF young birds
! and | was not pleased with the spar
row hawks conduct. | was further
| annoyed, when later In the day the
little hawk repeated his movements,
in the same, or very nearly the same.
place. The next day l observed the
same movements again. then of
; fered prize OF fifty cents to the boy
who would find the nest of the spar-
row hawk, so that he could. In some
i way. be taken without disturbing Che
other birds with a gun. That even
ing | was reading the census Of a bird
sanctuary somewhere--a census ~of
which the publishers seemed to be
very proud. and ] noted the PRESENCE
of two sparrow hawks. This lead
to investigation and | learned that
bird lovers are, 1t seems, not willing
that the sparrow hawk shouldibe con
demned or allowed to suffer- on sci
count of his family name = II has
been assumed for many years, that
a hawk is hawk that all hawks
have the same general habits, But
more careful investigation places the
sparrow hawk in the list OF harmless
or nearly harmless, and desirable
tirds. ~
3 tf, txith hA has rnJ
information as to the location of the
nest paid him 'the desired prize
in the shape of silver half dollar
but | also assumed that the sparrow
hawk had been picking UP Held mice
instead of birdlings and SO I gave eau;
ton not to disturbt the nest, which
with full quota Of eggs. had beer
discovered in a bird box which HAD
been placed in a maple tree, hear
Senior Spring, for bluebifds. -; In the
summer of, 1921. at least one pair oil
sparrow hawks nested on the Besse
Reservation, and probably mbres thar
one. for the dead trees that were let'
by the lumbermen on that stcticn y
the farm afford many abandoned
woodpeckers' holes, Which proved 70 ~
choice tenements for the sparrow
hawk. : -.
i BANK SWALLOWS !
have never understood why mar
fashioned for great achievements ANT
capable of a walk with GOD, shopls
prefer to wallow in the mire and
cannot explain why white: bEeasted
glossy backed bank swallow, capable
of dartihg through the air at ,altnh'
lightning rabidity, should prefer X
dig a hole in sand bank and jset VI
housekeeping there, al say d., no
understand and | do not need ITO. <
I useh to, PREACH Al sermon about
swallows; in it | called att8ntiahi u
the fact that. while at the foot q light
houses and other tall towers, varfous
birds were at times picked up dead
having flown against the obstacle In
the night. it was claimed thai
among such unfortunate birds OF pass
age the swallow was never found.
was not able to vouch for IL but
stated it, upon the testimony OF 9th
ers and had reason for believing. II
to be a fact. My explanation was this,
Many birds fly on low plane, and
not rising above the level OF sundry
obstacles they strike against them and
perish but the swallow, believed to
Journey to and from the tropics at d
higher level, never comes to grief in
that way.
We often zee the swallows gather
ing in August for the annual migra
ton southwark but we do not see then
on the way. The only time ! was
ever at Flagstaff, Maine. careful es
innate of the swallows on the tele
phone wires. placed the number a
about three thousand; / was told tina
it was probably their last day there
ii being the date on which they us
ually departed. That was at ter
O'Clock in the morning; at unset o.
the same day there Ws no sign OF
swallow in the vicinity 1t might be
expected that such flock OF swal
lows would be seen few miles fur
Their south-say at Skowhegan or Coco
villa cloud against the sky at least
but they are never seen. That the
theory is correct and that they dc
travel at very high altitude has
been verified by aviators who report
u II l.