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 129 Compliments of Dr. B. H. Warren, West Chester, Pa. 
 
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 Some Birds and Mammals 
 
 '^ T'WlliCH DBTKUY FISH AND GAMB, 
 
 BY 
 
 Dr. B. H. WaRRBN, State Zoologist. 
 
 [Reprint from Report of Pennsylvania Commissioners of Fisheries, 1897.] 
 
 ; 'ilS^'^^^ 
 
 -^WfiiJl 
 
 CLARENCE M. BUSCH, 
 
 state printer of pennsylvania. 
 
 June. 1897. 
 
►-S^ 
 
 
 BARRED OWL. 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 215 
 
 SOME IIIKDS AND MAMMAL^? WHK'H DKSTKOY 
 FISH AND GAME 
 
 By B. IT. WARREN, State Zoologist. 
 
 As many of oiu' citizens, pai'ticuhii'ly fislieruieii, seem lo labci- 
 under tlie impiessiou that ihe dainagr annually done tO' tisli by 
 different kinds of birds and mammals is of a serious character, the 
 writer has durinj;- tlie hist three years been collecting all reliable 
 data possible on the subject. 
 
 Some time ago the Department of Agriculture distributed 
 throughout th(* Stale a circular asking for information as to the 
 damage done by the tisli-destroying birds and mammals. In re- 
 s' j'onse to these circulars several hundred answers were received and 
 from them, it is found that the injury, contrary to prevalent impres- 
 sion, is not of a veiy serious nature. In fact, from our investiga 
 tions, the mink and kinghsher. both of which are quite; plentiful, 
 in suitable localities, throughout the State, may be said to be about 
 the only ones which commit very noticeable depredations to the 
 tinny inhabitants of our streams and ponds. The otter, it is true, 
 subsists ])iiucipally on the tisli diet, but otters are so rare in this 
 Commonwealth, that the mischief they do is but trilling. Tlie 
 hei'ons, or at least cei'tain species, no doubt destroy a large nuinbei' 
 of fish, but they also are so few in numbers that the loss annually 
 from rheii- ])resence, (and the same is ti'ue of loons, grebes and 
 several other species of our feathered fishermen) is certainly not, 
 noi- do T believe it ever will be, a source of danger to the increase 
 of the finny denizens of our Avaiers. The illegal taking of fish in 
 vaiious ways practiced continually in Pennsylvania, by individuals 
 who seem to have little or no regard for the statutes, which remain 
 inoperative mainly because our law-makeis do not ruake sufficient 
 ajjpropriations to enable the P.oard of Fisli ('ommissioners to }»i()])- 
 cily enforce tlw present laws, causes a hundred times over more loss 
 every year than all the tish-eating birds and four-footed animals 
 that have a p(M-manent or tem])orai-y residence within the buuiidaries 
 of our State. 
 
 BIRDS OF PREY. 
 
 Fully twenty ditferent s])ecies of eagles, hawks and owls occur 
 regularly in r'-nnsylvania. Some, sncji as the screcM-h, barred and 
 great horned owls and the red-tailed liawk. ai-e with ns during all 
 
216 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc 
 
 seasons, while others, ioi exani})]e tlie short-eared u-wl and (isfh 
 hawk, are usually present only during a portion of the year. 
 
 Birds of prey subsist wluilly on animal food. A few species are 
 detrimental, as they live larj^uly on poultry, game — bo-th furred and 
 feathered — and many kinds of small wild song biids; but other spe- 
 cies of raptorial birds, which are common neither as residents or 
 migrants, are mostly highly beneficial, as their food has been found, 
 from careful investigations, to be made up mainly of destructive 
 rodents, injurious beetles, grasshoppers, etc. 
 
 So far as the osprey or fish hawk and the bald eagle are concerned 
 there, of course, is no doubt about their fish-eating propensities, but 
 neither of these birds are sufficiently numerous in our State to com- 
 mit depredations worthy of notice. Few birds have been studied 
 by naturalists with more care than have the birds of prey. Tlie 
 post-mortem examinations of the viscera of hundreds of them, to- 
 gether with observatioius in the field, have clearly shown that cer- 
 tain s}>ecies. other than the osprey and bald eagle, will sometimes 
 catch and feed on fish. 
 
 CROWS AND BLACKBIRDS. 
 
 Investigations have proven that the common crow and his yellow- 
 eyed relatives the crow blackbirds, both omnivoro'us in their habits, 
 will occasionally repair to shallow waters and catch small fry, which 
 they devour. As fishermen, however, neither of these species c;in 
 be called experts, and the numebi' of fish they catch is certainly 
 not large. 
 
 THE GREBES. 
 
 Grebes may easily be recognized by the beautiful silvery-white 
 plumage C'f the breast and abdcmien, the paddle-like feet, which are 
 not webbed like those of a loon or duck, and the rudimentary tail 
 which consists of a small tuft of downy feathers. 
 
 Grebes, during the spring and autumn migrations, occur generally 
 throughout the State, particularly aboait the larger streams, lakes 
 and mill-ponds, and during mild winters birds of this family are 
 often seen about rivers and large ponds in the southern portion of 
 the CommonAvealth, 
 
 Although these birds are usually observed singly or in pairs, occa- 
 sionally a good-sized flock is to be found. In relation to the grebes 
 in general it can be stated that unless flying they ai*e almost always 
 to be seen in the water. The several species of this family, owing to 
 the posterior situation of their legs, move with considerable diffi- 
 culty when on the ground, over wliicli I hey go in a slow, flouudering 
 manner. 
 
Xo. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 217 
 
 Gi-ebes, like some other kinds of aquatic birds, when wounded, 
 will conceal themselves in weeds and grasses, which grow so luxu- 
 riantly in their favorite watery retreats, where they will remain for 
 a considerable period of time with only their slender, tapering bills 
 above the water's surface. Tliey swim and dive with the utmost 
 facility; when swimming beneath the water's surface, either in 
 quest of prey or to escape capture, it is said they use their wings 
 in the same manner as when flying in the air. Their well known 
 habit of diving when alarmed, and particularly when shot at, has 
 won for them the common name of "Hell-divers." 
 
 The Gi-ebe's nest consists of a thick, matted mass of vegetation, 
 such as reeds, flags, grasses, etc. !r?ometimes the nest is built close 
 to the water, but usually, according to Mr. Ridgway, it is to be 
 fnund floating u})on the surface of the water in grassy or sedgy 
 ponds or marshes. The same authority describes the eggs as fol- 
 lows: "2-5, dull-white, bluish-white, or very pale bluish-green, usually 
 siained uiorc oi- le^s (often quite deeply) with light brown, by ccvu- 
 tact with decomposed vegetable matter." With the exception of the 
 Pied-billed grebe representatives of this family occurring in Penn- 
 sylvania bi-eed generally north of the United States. (Irebes subsist 
 (ni tish, frogs, various aquatic insects — especially beetles — and tO' 
 a limited extent on different water plants. 
 
 They confer no special benefits, nor are they in any particular 
 detrimental to agricultural interests. Their flesh, quite tough, and 
 disagreeable to the taste, is seldom eaten; the feathers, hoAvever, are 
 (•(insiderably used by millinei-s, and by furriers for muffs, etc. For 
 these purposes the silvery-white plumage of the breast and abdomen 
 is taken. 
 
 During the past three years the writer has examined the stomach 
 contents of twenty-seven grebes and found that eight of this number 
 had in their food receptacles the remains of fish with the other food 
 materials ))i('vi()usly indicated. 
 
 THE LOONS. 
 
 Loons live almost habitually in the water; they dive with won- 
 derful rai)idity and skill, and are also remarkable for their ability 
 to swim long distances under the water, especially when en- 
 deavoi'ing to ','lude their enemies. As divers they are the most 
 expert of all bii'ds. They retii'e during the summer season to high 
 boreal regions to r<'ar their ycaing, and as cold weather advances 
 migrate soulhward. During migrations loons are most numerous 
 about our seacoasis and on the large lakes in the interior. 
 
 Like Mie gi-ebes, they move (!V(m- the ground in a slow, floundering 
 and awkwaid manner: iheir flight, however, is rapid, and when 
 
21S REPORT OF THE Off. Doc 
 
 migrating they generally fly at a considerable elevation. The shrill 
 and mournful notes of these birds can be heard at a great distance; 
 it is asserted by some that loons, like cuckoos, are more frequently 
 heard before a storm than at other times. 
 
 The flesh of these birds is tough, dark colored and "fishy." The 
 white plumage of the under parts and the spotted feathers of the 
 hack arc sometimes used by milliners and furriers. 
 
 The nest is described as a rudely built structure of reeds, grasses, 
 etc., built on the ground near the water; the dark-colored and spO'tted 
 eggs are said to be usually two in number. Bill long, hard, straight, 
 tai»ering and sharp-pointed, being quite s})ear-like in apeparance and 
 well adapted to catching their prey, consisting principally of fish. 
 
 Two species of this family, namely, the Common Loon jind the Red- 
 throated Loon are found in Pennsylvania. It is claimed by some 
 writers that in former years the Common Loon or Creat No'Vthern 
 Diver, was a regular breeder about several of llie lakes in the 
 northeastern counties of Pennsylvania. 
 
 The stomachs of sixteen loons (three of ^^■hich wei-c the Red- 
 throated), showed that thirteen had remains of fish in them, two 
 contained seeds and other vegetable matter and the remaining one 
 was empty. Fall fish, suckers, catfish, carp and also a brook trout 
 seven inches lo'ng have been found in the stomachs of loons taken 
 in tliis imitate. 
 
 THE DUCKS, ETC. 
 
 The ducks, geese and swans, according to l)r Cones (Key to X. 
 A. birds) are represented by nearly one hundred and seventy-five 
 species, inhabiting all parts of the world. Of this large number 
 there are probably about fifty kinds which occur regularly in difl'er- 
 ent parts of the United States, as residents or during migrations. In 
 Pennsylvania nearly twenty species are found during the s])ring and 
 fall migi-ations and in winter. But few species are no'W known to 
 breed regularly in this State; in fact, the AVood Duck, it seems, is 
 the only one that may be said to be at all connnon and fairly well 
 disli'ibuted lin th<^ wooded and thinly ]>o])ulated districts cliietly) as 
 a breedei-. S( veral species are also found in di1T(M'ent sections of 
 tlie State as lai-e and in-euiilai- visitants, and occasionally a few 
 others, which have wandered considerably fi-om their common rang(\ 
 are cai;tnred Ium-c. The Canada (ioose, the Mergansers, the Wood, 
 Ruddy and Ruffle-head ducks, and some few othei- kinds are met with 
 quite frecpu^ntly about the rivers, creeks, lakes and numerous jtonds 
 in nearl\ all ]::nts of the State. The gi-eat majority of the membei-s 
 of this iui]i()r1anl lamily which visit hei'e are. however, found mainly 
 on the larg(^ rivers — especially the Snsquelianna — and about the 
 shores of Lake Erie. The best locations for duck shoo/inu in this 
 
No. 17 FISH COMMISSIONERS. 219 
 
 t^iaie iwe at ditt'iMcnt jioints on the Siisciuehanna, froui Harrisburg 
 sou fb ward, and al Kvu' bay, wlicre several species are qnite unnun- 
 Diis '^v-M'v \('i\v diiiin'4 the rcjinlar migrations. "It is not easy to 
 overrate the eecioinic ini|)ortan('e of this large family. It is true 
 that Merganseis, some of the sea ducks and cei'tain uuiritime geese 
 that feed chiefly upon animal substances, are scarcely tit for food, 
 biM ihe great majority afi'ord a bounteous supply of sapid meat — a 
 chief dependence, indeed, with the population of some inhospitable 
 rt'gions. Such is the case, for example, in the boreal parts of this 
 continent, whither vast bands of water-fowls resort to breed during 
 the fleeting Arctic summer. Their coming marks a season of com- 
 parative plenty in ])laces where hunger often pinches the belly and 
 their warm downy covering is patched into garments almost cold- 
 ])roof. 
 
 "The general traits of the anserine birds are too well known to re- 
 (juire more than passing notice. They are salacious to a degree, re- 
 markable even in the hot blooded, passionate class of birds; a cir- 
 cumstance rendering the ]u-oduction of hybrids frequent and favor- 
 ing the study of this subject. If we recall the peculiar actions 
 of geese nipping herbage, and of ducks 'dabbling' in the water, and 
 know that some species, as the Mergansers, pursue fish and other live 
 prey under water, we have the principal modes of feeding. Xidifica- 
 tion is usually on the ground, sometimes in a hollow tree; the nest is 
 often warmly lined with live feathers; the eggs are usually of some 
 ])lain color, as greenish, drab, or creamy; the clutch varies in num- 
 ber; commonly ranges from half a dozen to a dozen and a half. The 
 young ai-e clothed in a stiftish down, and swim at once. Among the 
 ducks and Mergansers maiked st^xual diversity in color is the rule; 
 the reverse is the case with swans and geese. A note-worthy colora- 
 tion of many species, especially of ducks, is the speculum — a briglitly 
 colored, geneially iridescent area on the secondary quills. Most 
 of th(^ s])ecies are migratory, particularly those of the northern 
 hemis];h(n'e; the fiight is ])ei-foi-med in bands, that seem to preserve 
 disci]dine as well as c(tmpaiiionshi]>. and with such regularity that 
 no bii'ds are better- entitled to the claim of weather prophets." 
 
 The .Mei-gansers, or Fishing Ducks, are ]!robably the most com- 
 mon of all "wild ducks" about our smalhM- sticams and jtonds dur- 
 ing the winter season. 
 
 Mergans(M-s can easily be recognized by the l)'ll. wliich is long 
 tlwo inches or more in length), hooked, almost cylindrical, quite 
 s1end( 1' and furnished with saw-like teeth. 
 
 Like the Loons, roi-moi'ants, etc.. these birds, when swimming 
 under the watei-, em])loy their wings in the same manntr as when 
 flvinu' in the nil'. They subsist almost exclusively on fish; their 
 
220 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 flesh is dark-colored, quite tougk and unpalatable. Three species 
 of this sub-family are found in the United States, and all occur in 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 THE HERONS ETC. 
 
 Birds of this family, containing, it is said, about seventy-live 
 species are very generally dispersed throughout all parts of the 
 globe. A few si>ecies wand(^r to cold countries, but the great ma- 
 jority of these waders inhabit the lower temperate and tropical 
 regions. In dirt'erent localities throughout the Ihiited States, about 
 fifteen species and varieties (local or geographical races) are recorded 
 by modern writers; of these nine species have been taken, during 
 recent years, in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Some species occur with us as regular summer residents, while 
 others are observed here only as transitory visitors in the spring 
 and fall migrations. These birds frequent muddy banks, rivers, 
 creeks, lakes and ponds; they are also found about swampy meadows 
 and marshy places, particularly if the latter are well supplied with 
 pools of shallow water, protected by trees and bushes. They often 
 remain quiet or inactive in daytime, but as evening approaches, or 
 in the night, they go out, like the owls, in quest of food, which is 
 secured by rapid, dextrous thrusts of their long spear-like bills. 
 
 Birds of this group subsist chiefly on various kinds of fishes (fish 
 measuring nearly a foot in length are often swallowed by large 
 herons), frogs and snakes; and they also eat other kind of animal 
 food, such as large insects, field mice, lizards, crayfish, leeches, etc, 
 and some of the larger herons occasionally catch wood-rats and 
 young birds of other species which breed about their favorite feed- 
 ing resorts. With the exception of the Bitterns, these birds are gre- 
 garious, particularly when breeding, and in the Southi ru States 
 heron and egrets are abundant: they often breed together in 
 great numbers, frequently in company with coi-uiorants, water tui'- 
 keys and ibeses. The herons and egrets build rude and bulky nests 
 of sticks and twigs, in trees and bushes; the bluish or greenish col- 
 ored and unspolted eggs vary from two to six in number. 
 
 The sliarp. rasj)iug cries of these birds ai-e often uttered wlie^ 
 feeding, also if they are frightened, and fi('(|uently when living, 
 either when migrating or wheu going lo and from tlieir feeding 
 places. P»irds of this family are kuown by tlie following characters: 
 Long necks and logs; bill long, siraigh), tai>ei-ing. acnt" and fur- 
 nished with shap ending edges. Lores naked and usually, ])articu- 
 larly in the lireeding season, bright colored: the head is rather long, 
 nai-row and flat on the sides. U'lien bi-ei'dinii these birds fi'e(]uently 
 have the back of the head, the iowei- neck, back or scai)ulars, beau- 
 tifully oi'namcnt<Ml witli long ])lumes. Herons and egrets have three 
 
No. 17 FISH COMMISSIONERS. 221 
 
 pairs of powdei-down tracts, one oii lower part of back, the second 
 on lower belly, and a third on breast. Bitterns have two pairs of 
 these tracts, one on lower back, the other on breast; toes long and 
 slender; the claws are long and curved, especially that of hind toe, 
 and the middle claw has a fine comb or inner edge. The hind toe 
 is inserted on a level with them in front; outer toes usually connected 
 with middle by a small web at base, others free. Tail very short, 
 twelve feathers, except in bitterns, which have only ten. 
 
 KINGFISHERS. 
 
 Two species of Kingfishers are found in North America. Of 
 these but one — the Belted — occurs in Pennsylvania. The Kingfisher 
 family, however, is not a small one, as species are present in nearly 
 all parts of the world; but they are most abundant in warm coun- 
 tries. Dr Cones says: "One would gain an imperfect or erroneous 
 idea of the family to judge it by the American fragment of one genus 
 and six or eight species. * * * There are in all 125 species, be- 
 longing to nineteen genera; the latter appear to be very judiciously 
 handled, but a moderate reduction of the former will be required. 
 They are very unequally distributed. Ceryle alone is nearly cosmo- 
 politan, absent only from the Australian region; the northern por- 
 tion of the Old World has only two peculiar species; three genera and 
 twenty-four species are characteristic of the Ethiopian region; one 
 genus and twenty-five species are confined to India; while no less 
 than ten genera and fifty-nine species are peculiar to Australia.'' 
 
 The Kingfisher family is divided into two sub-families, one of 
 which is chiefly insectivorous and the members of which generally 
 nest in holes in trees sometimes at a considerable distance from 
 water, while the other section of this family subsist almost entirely 
 on fish and deposit their eggs and rear their young usually in holes 
 in banks along or near the streams or other bodies of water where 
 they catch their finny prey. 
 
 Kingfishers are shy and solitary birds, they, or at least the species 
 found in this region, feed almost wholly on small fish, but occa- 
 sicmally a few aquatic insects or small mammals, such as mice, are. 
 by way of variety, devoured by them. When watching for food 
 they sit motionless when perched on a stake, old stump, or bough 
 hanging over the water. 
 
 When their prey is sighted they dart after it and seize it with the 
 bill when on the wing. The fish or other food is swallowed whole, 
 wlien they return to the watching post. 
 
 "Kingfishers (says Mr. Gmelin) are seen all over Siberia; and their 
 feafhcis are employed by the Tartars and the Ostiacs for many su- 
 ])er8titious uses. The former pluck them, cast them into the water 
 and carefully preserve such as float, and they pretend that if 
 
222 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 with one of these featlieis tliey touch a woman, or even hei- ch)thes, 
 she must fall in love with them. The Ostiacs take the skin, tlie bill, 
 and the claws of this bird, and shut them in a pnise: and as long 
 as thev preserve this sort of amulet, they believe they have no ill to 
 fear. The person who taught me this means of living liapi^y, could 
 not forbear shedding- tears; he told me that the loss of a kingfisher's 
 skin that he had, caused him to lose also his wife and his goods. 
 I observed tliat sucli a bird could not be very rare, since a country- 
 man liad brought me one, with its skin and feathers; he was much 
 surprised, and said thai if lie had tlie luck to tind one, he would give 
 it to no person." 
 
 FISH HAWK OR OSPREY. 
 
 This species, although most numerous about the seacoast, is fre- 
 quently to be found along our large rivers and many of our larger 
 lakes. During the spring and autumn months these hawks, gen- 
 erally singly, but sometimes in pairs, if not disturbed, will linger 
 for several days about mill dams and carp ponds where they can 
 easily capture fish. 
 
 The fish hawks occurs in I'ennsylvania only as a summer resident, 
 arriving generally late in March and remaining until sometimes the 
 middle of November. 
 
 The Fish Hawk commonly rears its young in the vicinity of the 
 seacoast, yet it oftentimes is found breeding near th(> borders of 
 large rivers or in the vicinity of large inland lakes. The nest, a very 
 bulky structure (from four to eight feet in diameter) composed main- 
 ly of sticks, and lined with sea weeds, mosses, grasses, etc.. is built 
 usually on a large tree near the water. The eggs, two or three iu 
 number, measure about two and one-half inches'in length by one and 
 three-fourth inches in width; they are yellowish-white, thickly cov- 
 ered with large blotches of different shades of brown. 
 
 This hawk is a regular but by no means common breeder in Penn- 
 sylvania. TTie nest of this bird may be found almost every year 
 along the Suscjuehanua river and about some of the larger lakes in 
 the northeastern section of the State. The writer has examined the 
 stomach-contents of twenty-three of these hawks captured in Penn- 
 sylvania. Xew Jersey, ^laryland, Delaware and Florida, and found 
 only the i-emains of different s]>ecies of fish. It may be, as some 
 writcis assei-t, that the fish liawk when br(-eding subsists in part 
 (III rejitilcs and batrachians; however, my o])inioH is that these birds 
 never toucli otlier food unless tliey arc unabh^ to catch fish. 
 
 Hon. Iliiam reo]»les, of New Providence. Lancaster county, who 
 dev(ttes much attention to fish culture, raising large quantities of 
 buss and goldfish for the marlcets. informs me he loses a great many 
 fish through Fish Hawks, fn fad, he says, the depredations of these 
 

 Belted Kingfisher. 
 
•*>•'• «.-^-.v,^. 
 
 The Heron. 
 
Fish Hawk. 
 
I 
 
BALD EAGLE 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 223 
 
 hawks became so numerous that he offered a bounty of fifty cents 
 each for every one which was killed on his premises. This bounty 
 oll'er induced several neighbors' boys to make special efforts to de- 
 stroy the feathered fishermen. Mr. Peoples states that a number 
 of hawks have been killed and he has saved many dollars worth of 
 fish. 
 
 The Osprey, as this hawk is often called, does not, as some farmers 
 believe, disturb domestic fowls, nor does it molest game either 
 furred or feathered. Small, w^ild song birds are likewise free from 
 its attacks. Blackbirds as well as other species of the feathered 
 kind have often been known to build their homes in the interstices of 
 the bulky nest of the Fish Hawk. 
 
 BALD EAGLE. 
 
 The name "Bald'' which is given to this species is not applied 
 because the head Is bare, but because the feathers of the neck and 
 head in the adults are pure white. In Pennsylvania, as well as 
 thronfi-hout the United States, we have but two species of eagles. 
 The "Plack," "Gray" and "Washington" eagles are all young of the 
 Bald Eagle, our national emblem. Three years, it is stated, are re- 
 quired before this species assumes the adult plumage. The Bald 
 Eagle is found in Pennsylvania at all seasons of the year. 
 
 The Nest and Eggs. 
 
 A few of tliese birds annually rear their young along the Susque- 
 hanna river and also in a few other localities in this 
 State. The nest, a bulky affair, built usually on a large 
 tree, mostly near the water, is about four or five feet in diam- 
 eter. It is made up chiefly of large sticks, lined inside with grasses, 
 leaves, etc. The eggs commonly 2 — rarely 3 — are white and they 
 measure about 3 by 2^ inches. A favodte article of food with this 
 bird is fish, which he obtains, mainly by strategy and rapine. Occa- 
 sionally, hov^'ovor. ncrording to different observers, the Bald Eagle 
 will do his own fishing. 
 
 This sperios is (luite plentiful in the vicinity of large rivers, bays, 
 etc.. where Fish Hawks are common. Although the Bald Eagle 
 feeds to a considerable extent on fish he subsists largely on ducks, 
 geese and (sther aquatic birds. Audubon, referring to this ea2,le 
 says: "No sooner does the Fish Hawk make its appearance along 
 oup Atlantic shores, or ascend our numerous and large rivers, than 
 the eagle follows it. and, like a selfish oppressor, robs it of the hard- 
 earned fruits of its labor. Perched on some tall summit, in view of 
 the ocean, or of some water-course, he watches every motion of the 
 Fish Hawk while on wing. When the latter rises from the water, 
 with a fish in its grasp, forth rushes the eagle in pursuit. He mounts 
 above the Fish Hawk, and threatens it by actions well understood. 
 
224 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 when the latter, fearing perhaps that its life is in danjiei', drops its 
 prey. In an instant the eagle, accurately estimating the rapid 
 descent of the lish, closes his wings, follows it with the swiftness 
 of thought, and the next moment grasps it." 
 
 Occasionally Does His Own Fishing. 
 
 The Bald P^agle has been known to catch carp and suckers, and 
 Audubon says: "This bird now and then procures fish for himself by 
 pursuing them in the shallows of small creeks. I have witnessed 
 several instances of this in the Perkiomen creek in Pennsylvania^ 
 where, in this manner, I saw one of them secure a number of red- 
 fins, by w^ading briskly through the water, and striking at them wieh 
 his bill." 
 
 How Eagles Capture Wild Fowl. 
 
 Dr. Wm. Brewster, writing of this species at Oobb's Island, Vir- 
 ginia, says: "In the winter the eagles are much mor^e numerous 
 than at any other time of the year, and my informant has, on several 
 occasiO'Us. seen as many as eight at once. At this season the neigh- 
 boring bays and creeks swarm with wild-fowl and upon these the 
 eagles principally live. He has never known them to catch fish of 
 any kind, although they not unfrequently rob the Fish Hawk. 
 
 "Geese and Brant form their favorite food, and the address dis- 
 played in their capture is very remarkable. The poor victim has 
 apparfiitly not the slightest chance for escape. The eagle's flight,, 
 ordinarily slow and somewhat heavy, becomes, in the excitement of 
 pursuit, exceedingly swift and graceful, and the fugitive is quickly 
 overtaken. When close upon its quarry the eagle suddenly sweeps 
 beneath it, and turning back downwards, thrusts its powerful 
 t.ilons up into its breast. A brant or duck is carried off bodily to 
 the nearest marsh or sand-bar, but a Canada Goose is too heavy 
 to be thus easily disposed of. The two great birds fall together to 
 the water beneath, while the eagle literall.y tows his prize along 
 the surface until the shore is reached. In this w'ay one has been 
 known to drag a large goose for nearly half a mile." 
 
 Kills Poultry and Game. 
 
 The I!ald Eagle occasionally devours young pigs, lambs, and 
 fawns; domestic fowls, wild turkeys, hares, &c., are also destroyed 
 by this species. I have knowledge of at least two of these birds 
 which have killed poultry (tame ducks and turkeys) along the Sus- 
 quehanna river. Sometimes like the Golden Eagle, this species will 
 attack raccoons and skunks. I once found two or three spines of 
 a poiTn[)ine in the body of an immature Bald Eagle. 
 
GOLD E N EAG LE 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMIPSIOISERS. 225 
 
 GOLDEN EAGLE. 
 
 The GoiQen Eagle occurs in this State as a wiutei* visitor, Tlie 
 only species witli whicli it is sometimes compared is tlieT^ald Eagle 
 in immature dress. The two birds, however, can be distinguished 
 at a glance, if you remember that the Golden Eagle lias the tarsus 
 (shin) densely feathered to the toes, while on the other hand, the 
 IJald P^agle has a bare shin. The Golden Eagle breeds in higli 
 mountainous regions and the Arctic countries. 
 
 Tliero is a specimen of this species in the State Museum which 
 was captured a few years ago in Clinton county, where for several 
 days, when deep snow covered the ground, it lingered about a farm 
 house and preyed upon chickens and turkeys, and when it was shot 
 it had just swooped down on a favorite pussy which spent most of 
 her time in a swampy, grassy thicket, near the barnyard, watching 
 for small birds and rabbits. 
 
 ^ Food of the Golden Eagle. 
 
 Golden Eagles are rather rare in this region, hence their depreda- 
 tions to poultry, game and live stock occasion comparatively little 
 loss. Dtunestic fowls, ducks and turkeys especially are often de- 
 voured; different species of water birds, grouse, and wild turkeys,, 
 suffer chiefly among the game birds. Fawns are sometimes attacked 
 and killed; occasionally it destroys young pigs, and frequently many 
 lambs are carried off by this powerful bird. Babbits are preyed 
 ujton t<) a considerable extent. To illustrate the damage w'lrichi 
 eagles sometimes do on sheep ranches. Dr. A. K. Fisher publishes the 
 following letter, which fully explains how de.*;trnctive ea^l!^•< may 
 occasionally become. This letter as Dr. Fisher observes, "may refer 
 in part to the Bald Eagle." 
 
 Rhems, Georgetown County, S. C, May 30, 1SS9. 
 Col. Alex. Macbeth: n 
 
 Dear Sir: "i'ours 22d instant at hand, and in reply will say that the eagles 
 are more destructive to the sheep-growing industry in this section than dogs. 
 On cne lanch this spring one shepherd alone killed over forty himself, princi- 
 pally by using strychnine. They were vvors? than we ever knew before. We 
 lost fully 400 or 500 lambs, as they devour them as fast as they drop 
 from the, old sheep. * * « ^-g frequently see during- ea,gle or lamb- 
 ing season, fifteen or twenty eagles in a covey (or bunch), which shows at a 
 glance that they are very destructive. We have also a few wildcats that de- 
 vour the young' sheep, but can manage them better than eagles. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 T. RHEM & PONS. 
 
 ADULT DEER ATTACKED. 
 
 Some years ago I saw the remains of a Golden Eagle hanging, 
 with some pets, on a hunter's cabin in the wilds of Clinton county. 
 Pa., and on making inquiry larned that the bird had been shot iu 
 15-17-07 
 
226 ' RKIORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 the act of attacking' a small doe. jNlr. C. F. .Monisou, wiitini; of a 
 similar case which had been called to his attention says: "The bird 
 had cai)tured and killed a good-sized beach-tailed deer an J was shot 
 while sitting on its body" (O&O, Vol. xiv, 188U). Mr. Henry Seebolm, 
 a European naturalist, writing o^f the species in the Old World, 
 makes the following observation concerning its food: "The Golden 
 Eagle has been known on one highland sheep farm alone, in the 
 course of a single season, to carry off as many as thirty-five lambs. 
 "■" * * In deer forests, eagles are of the gi-eatest service; for, al- 
 though they sometimes take a sickly deer calf, they live almost 
 entirely on blue hares, so troublesome to the deer stalker; and 
 most ceriainlv deer are better for the removal of the weak-and sickly 
 ones which would only possibly live to transmit their disease to 
 posterity. * * * The Golden Eagle will eat carrion when 
 pressed for food. * * * The Golden Eagle also preys upon vari- 
 ous Kj)e( Jes of birds, notably the black cock and red grouse, stai- 
 migan, curlews and plovers." 
 
 RED SHOULDERED HAWK. 
 
 This species like the Red-tailed Hawk is known to farmers and 
 sportsmen as "hen -hawk." This name, however, is very misleading 
 as this bird seldom destroys the tenants of the poultry yard. The 
 Ked-shouldered Hawk preys to a very limited extent on fish; the 
 damage he does to the finny tribes is not worthy of consideration. 
 This hawk does not merit the ill-will of the sportsman, as he rarely 
 preys on game. The examination of 220 stomachs of this species, 
 made by Dr. A. K. Fisher, of the National Department of Agricul- 
 ture, showed that only one contained the remains of a game bird, 
 and but three contained poifitry. 
 
 In winter these hawks frequent principally the large water courses, 
 meadow lands, and the vicinity of ponds, and not unfrequently an 
 individual of this species can be observed on its perch overlooking 
 a siDring-head. 
 
 The Nest and Eggs. 
 
 The Red-shouldered Hawk nests in trees, usually in April or May, 
 in this locality. The eggs, two to four in number, are white and 
 blotched with different shades of brown. The nest is composed of 
 sticks, fine bark and other fibres. 
 
 Does Not Piey on Chickens. 
 
 Although this hawk is frequently charged with destroying fowls 
 observation in the field and numerous dissections of the sto.naehs 
 of this species do not by any means justify such a statement. My ex- 
 perience on this subject agrees in the main with that of Dr. A. K. 
 Fisher, who savs: "Some authors insist that the Red-shouldered 
 
RED SHOULDERED HAWK 
 
No. 17. FISH C0MM1SS3 0NKRS. 227 
 
 Hawk is destructive to poultry, but the writer, in all his field ex- 
 perience, has never seen one attack a fowl, nor has he found the 
 remains of one in the stomachs of those examined. In: makin;; tliis 
 statement, he does noit include poultry which is eaten in the form 
 of offal, for in severe weather when the ground is covered with snow 
 and when foi)d is scarce, the Red-shouldef^d Hawk will devour dead 
 chickens which have been thrown out from the yard, as well as other 
 refusi? found on compost heaps or in the vicinity of slaughter houses. 
 At such times the writer has often captured specimens of tMs hawk, 
 as well as of crows, blue jays, red and flying squirrels, in steel traps 
 set near a piece of ch.icken, rabbit or beef fastened in a tree." 
 
 In my examinations of fifty-seven of these hawks which have been 
 captured in Pennsylvania, forty-three showed field-mice, some few 
 otlier small quadrupeds, grasshoppers and insects, mostly beetles; 
 nine revealed frogs and insects; two, small birds, remains of small 
 mammals and a fow beetles; two, snakes and portions of frogs. In 
 the stomachs of two of tbese hawks sbot in Florida, I found, in 
 one, portions of a small cat-fish, and in the other remains of a small 
 mammal and some few coleopterous insects. A specimen taken last 
 year in New York State had in its stomach the remains of a sucker 
 and hair of a small mammal. 
 
 GOSHAWK. 
 
 The Goskhawk is not common in this State. Usually this fierce, 
 powerful and predatory bird confines himself to the mountainous 
 and lieavily wooded regions. It is rather exceptional for these birds 
 to be found in the populous farming districts and when they are seen 
 in such places it is generally during severe winters, when their fa- 
 vorite inoiiutain retreats are visited by heavy falls of snow. Tlie 
 Goshawk is a regular breeder on North mountain, Sullivan county. 
 Pa. 3 have seen birds of iliis species in Clinton and Centre counvies 
 of this Stale in June and July, hence am inclined to tbink they may 
 also breed in these counties. Messrs. Otto and Herman Behr, of 
 Lopez, Pa., have found, during the last five or six years, several nests 
 of these hawks on North mountain. Within a radius of four or five 
 miles of their home, at least three or four pairs of these bird.s haA'e 
 bred regularly for many years. 
 
 The Nost. 
 
 In the latter part of May of this present year Mr. Herman Behr 
 found a nest of a Goshawk about three miles from his home; it 
 contained three young birds. Tlie nest was a very bulky structure, 
 probably not less than three feet high by three feet in diameter, and 
 made up almost entirely of sticks. It was built on a large beech tree. 
 
228 
 
 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 CxOSHAWKS AND WILD PIGEONS. 
 
 Ur. Belli- informs me that some thirty-five years ago there was a 
 wild pigi-'on rooM or breeding ground fully seven miles square, on 
 North inoimtain, which wa.s annually resorted to by these birds every 
 spriiiu'. On one occasion Mr. Behr counted forty-six pigeons' nrsts 
 on a single beecli tree. Wild pigeons, until within the last tJiree 
 years, bred regularly in small numbers on the North mountain. The 
 last wild pigeons observed in that region by Messrs. Otto and Her- 
 man Behr were taken in the spring of 1893. The Goshawk, also the 
 Cooper's and Sharp-shinned species, in common with the Great 
 Horned and Barred owls, destroyed great numbers of pigeons. Of 
 all these raptorial birds the cruel, daring and blood-thirsty Gosliawk 
 was by far* the most persistent and destructive enemy toi the pigeons. 
 
 The owls, like other nc^ctunial mauraders, sucli as the wald cat or 
 bay lynx, the red fox, the mink and agile weasel, all preyed upcm 1he 
 pigeons. The weasels would frequently climb the tree to get the 
 pigeons eggs and young, or often to capture the old birds when at 
 rest. The other mammals previously mentioned depended, mostly, 
 on catching squab-s which fell from the nests. 
 
 What Goshawks Prey Upon. 
 
 The Goshawk feeds upon chickens, turkeys, ducks, grouse, quail, 
 robin^, hare?? and squirrels and other small rodents. Although at 
 times this bird is very destructive to poultry the greater damage 
 done by this species in this State appears to be to game, especially 
 gron'-( . 
 
 The following paragraphs concerning this daring and destructive 
 lia\\k are taken fi'om Dr. A. K. Fisher's Report, Bulletin No. '1, en- 
 titled ''The Hawks and Owls of the United States." This species is 
 one of the most daiing of all the hawks, and while in pursuit of its 
 prey is apparently less cf)ncerned by the presence of man than any 
 other. It will dai't down unexpectedly at the very feet of the farmer 
 and carry off a fowl. The following from the pen of the late Dr. 
 William Wood gives evidence of its boldness: 
 
 The Destruction of Poultry. 
 
 ''The Goshawk is the most daring and venturescxme of any of our 
 diurnal birds of prey. A farmer who' resides a few miles from my 
 office, wishing to perpetuate the old New England custom of having 
 a chicken pie for Thanksgiving dinner, caught some fowls, took tliem 
 to a log. severed tlie neck of one, and threw it down beside him. In 
 an instant the Goshawk seized the struggling fowl, and, flying off 
 some ten rods, alighted and commenced devouring his prey. The 
 boldness of the attack so astonished the farmer that he looked on 
 witli blank amazement. Recovering from his surprise, he hastened 
 
AMERICAN GOSHAWK 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMIFSIOKERS. 229 
 
 iuto the house aud brouj^ht out his gun, which secured him both the 
 hawk and the fowl. Another instance of still greater daring oc- 
 curred near East Windsor Hill, Connecticut. A Gosawk flew after 
 a fowl near a dwelling house; the door being open, the hen flew in- 
 side; the hawk follow'ed, and seized her in the room occupied by an 
 old gentleman and his daughter. The old man hastened to the res- 
 cue, and struck ihe hawk with a cane belore it released its grasp. 
 The daughter caught the hawk as it attempted to fly out ol the ddor, 
 and killed it." (Amer. Nat. Vol. X. 1876, p. 134.) 
 
 Capt. Charles E. Bendire informed the writer that at Fort Kla. 
 math, Oregon, he once shot at a Goshawk and slightly wounded it 
 with fine shot, and in the course of a few minutes it returned and 
 attacked a chicken. Numerous cases are on record where it has 
 flown through windows to attack canaries or other cage birds. 
 
 An Enemy of Wild Fowls. 
 
 In the general character of its flight, as well as the mode of hunt- 
 ing and capturing its prey, it closely resembles Cooper's Hawk, 
 though it frequents the thick woods rather more than the latter bird. 
 In the fail this hawk is common along the smaller water courses 
 where it is very destructive to wild ducks and other water fowl, and 
 is able to strike down a bird as large as a full grown mallard. If its 
 pre.y is a bird of this size it rarely eats more than the flesh from the 
 breast, leaving +lie rest of iho cju'cass nntouelicd. Scoining to feed 
 upon carrion, another victim is secured when hunger returns. 
 
 A Successful Grouse Hunter. 
 
 Of the upland game birds the ptarmigan in the north and the 
 ruffed grouse in the middle districts suffer severely fromi the attacks 
 of this powerful hawk. Dr. William H. Dall, w^bo found it common 
 in the valley of the Yukon river, states that it feeds largely on the 
 white ptarmigan, the flo'cks of which it follows from place to place. 
 E. W, Nelson and L. M. Turi^er both corroborate its destructiveness 
 among these birds. In some parts of the couritry the Goshawk hunts 
 the ruffed grouse so persistently that it is known by the name of 
 "Partridge Hawk," and this bird probably has no worse enemy ex- 
 cept man. As Audubon was passing down the Ohio he observed one 
 of these hawks dive into a flock of grackles which was crossing the 
 river, and kill four or five of them. After giving each victim a fatal 
 squeeze the hawk allowed it to fall to the water and at the close of 
 the chase returned and picked up all from the surface. 
 
 COOPER'S HAWK. 
 
 The Cooper's Hawk, also known as the Long-tailed chicken or 
 Pheasant Hawk, is a common native. This species and its near rela- 
 tive the Sharp-shinned Hawic are the ones which probably do more 
 
230 RFJPORI OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 damage to tlie poultry interests of Pennsylvania than all other of our 
 hawks, .Ailhough this hawk is common aurmy, all seasons it is much 
 more plentiful during the late spring, summer and early autumn than 
 in midwinter. Tlie Cooper's Hawk measures from eighteen to 
 twenty inches in length; its extended wings measure about thirty- 
 six inches; the long and rounded tail is about eight and one-half 
 inches long. The adult male is a little smaller than the female, to 
 which the above measurements refer. The adults have upper parts 
 bluish-gray, top of head blackish; the tail has several blackish bars; 
 below W'hite; the breast and sides being barred witli dusky or ruf- 
 ous." The immature birds are dusk above, more or less spotted 
 with white and reddish brown; tail banded and lower parts white, 
 with long brown spots. 
 
 The Nest and "Eggs. 
 
 Nest building is commonly begun in this locality about the mid- 
 dle of April, and lasts for a period of from three to five days. Oc- 
 casionally this bird will deposit its eggs in a deserted crow's nest. 
 I believe they prefer to erect their own nests, and, from my observa- 
 tion, am quite positive they only appropriate the nests of other birds 
 when their own have been destroyed. The building of the nest is 
 the conjoint labor of both birds. It is usually built in a thick 
 woods, and when a pair of Cooper's Hawks begin housekeeping in 
 woodhuid near the farmer's poultry yai'd, and they are not soon 
 hunted up and killed or their nest and its contents destroyed, the 
 chances are they will destroy a good many dollars worth of poultry 
 before they and their young leave the locality. 
 
 Externally the nest is built of sticks varying much in size. It is 
 generally lined with the inner layer of bark, although frequently, 
 blades of grass, feathers and leaves enter into the construction of 
 the interior. The eggs measure about 1.99x1.50 inches and usually 
 number from three to four, altJiough it is not a rare occurrence to 
 find five. In color they are a dull, bluish white. Sets are some- 
 times taken with numerous and unevenly distributed brown and red- 
 dish spots. 
 
 The young leave the nest in about 25 days; when about S or 
 weeks old they are able to provide food for themselves; to this time, 
 however, they are carefully guarded by the old birds and fed almost 
 entirely on a diet of small wild birds, chickens and an occasionnl 
 mnmmal and some insects. 
 
 An Audacious Poultry Thief. 
 
 Wliile it is true the Cooper's Hawk preys to n much urenloi' extent 
 on full grown ponltry than does Tiis daring little relative the Sharp- 
 shinned Hawk, there is no doubt that at times individual Coo])er's 
 Hawks are equally as bad about destroying young poultry as are the 
 
Is'o. 17, FISH COIMISllKSiCNERS. 231 
 
 Shai'p-shinned hawks. For impudent daring this present species, 
 without doubt, ranks pre-eminent among the raptorial genera. Al- 
 most every farmer or poultry raiser can give instances of where he or 
 she was the victim of pillage by this bold and audacious robber. In 
 the spring of 1878 the writer was presented by a friend with a 
 Oooj)er's Hawk AA'hich he had caught in a steel trap, but not until 
 he and his mate had destroyed some fifty young chickens. In l^^ 
 day these two hawks killed twelve chickens. 
 
 A Varying Diet. 
 
 Dr. Coues (Birds of Northwest) says, in speaking of this hawk: 
 ^'Possessed of spirit commensurate with its physical powers, it preys 
 upon game little if any humbler than that of our more powerful fal- 
 ^^•ons. It attacks and destroys hares, grouse, teal, and even the young 
 of larger ducks * * * besides capturing the usual variety of 
 smaller birds and quadrupeds. It occasionally seizes upon reptiles 
 or picks up insects." 
 
 The following quotation from Dr. Fisher's Hawk and Owl Bulle- 
 tin No. 3, page 39, show ho-w extensively the Cooper's hawk feeds on 
 game and domestic birds. Nuttal says: "His food appears princi- 
 ])ally to be of various kinds; froin tlie sparrow to the ruffed grouse, 
 all contribute to his rapacious appetite. * * * His depredations 
 among domestic fowls are very destructive." (Land Birds, 1832, 
 p. 90.) 
 
 Mr, H. Nehrling says: "This very common and impudent robber is 
 llie most destructive of the raptores to the barnyard fowls; in a 
 short time all the young chickens, turkeys and ducks are killed by 
 it." (Bull. Nutt. Ormith. Club., Vol. VII, 82, p. 174.) 
 
 Mr. Thomas Mcllwaith says: "This is one of the chicken hawks, 
 and it well deserves the name, from the havoc it makes amooig the 
 poultry." (Birds of Ontario, p. 137.) 
 
 Destroying Quail. 
 
 Mr. Henshaw informs me that the Cooper's Hawk is a very partial 
 to quail's flesh in California and the southern territories, and that 
 it undoubtedly secures many victims. He once saw a young female 
 dart into a bevy of Gabel's quail and seize one with the utmost 
 ease, though the birds were flying at full speed. In an instant the 
 flock scattered in every direction and sought refuge in the bushes, 
 fi-om which it proved next to iniDossible to dislodge them. They had 
 recognized their enemy, and evidently knew that their only chance 
 for safety lay in close hiding. 
 
 Destroys Piieasants and Other Game. 
 
 The common name of "Long-tailed Pheasant Hawk," b> which the 
 swift-winged plunderer is best known in the mountainous and 
 1.5* 
 
232 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 sparsely settled regions is given because of the great damage this 
 hawk does by destroying ruffed grouse. For several years past the 
 writer has every season visited different localities in Pennsylvania, 
 for the purpose of hunting ruffed grouse or pheasant, and from per- 
 sonal observation is well aware that the Cooper's Hawk is a most 
 destructive foe of this noble game bird. Hunters and woodsmen 
 ha^-e often told me that these "pheasant hawks," referring to both 
 the Cooper's and Sharp-shinned, kill almost as many birds as the 
 average sportsman, and judging from the way in which a good many 
 s].ortsmGJi "slioot" when they are in the brush after tlie wily grouse, 
 it is yery likely that this statement is correct. 
 
 The Cooper's hawk feeds upon the gray rabbit (common cotton- 
 tail) and tlie mountain jack or white rabbit (varying hare). Squirrels 
 arc oceasiooally killed and young wild turkeys also suffer consider- 
 ably from the attacks of this bird. Besides destroying poultry and 
 game of different kinds, these hawks annually kill great numbers of 
 small wild birds, such as woodpeckers, sparrow, thrushes, etc. The 
 Cooper's Hawk has been known to kill and feed upon the following 
 species of birds and mammals which are present in this State: 
 
 Birds. 
 
 Ruffed Grouse, Meadow Lark, 
 
 Quail, Screech Owl, 
 
 Common Dove, Flicker, 
 
 Goldfinch, Ked-headed Woodpecker, 
 
 Kobin, 'NATiite-breasted Nuthatch, 
 
 Shore-lark, Song Sparrow, 
 
 Tree Sparrow, Snowbird, 
 
 Towhee, C!row Blackbird, 
 
 Red- winged Blackbird, Field Sparrow, 
 
 Wild Turkey, Savanna Sparrow, 
 
 Wood Duck, Blue Bird, 
 
 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, English Sparrow. 
 
 Mammals. 
 Opossum, Chipmunk, 
 
 Gray Rabbit, Red Squirrel, 
 
 Varying Hare, ' Common Rat, 
 
 Field Mice, Woodchuck (young). 
 
 SHARP-SHINNED HAAVK. 
 
 The Sharp-shinned Hawk bears a close resemblance to the Cooper's 
 Hawk, but it can be distinguished from the latter by its smaller size 
 and the (nd of the tail which is straight or slightly notched. The 
 tip of the Cooper's Hawk tail is decidedly rounded. Length 10 to 
 14 inches: extended wings 21 to 2G. 
 
No. 17. FISH COAlMISSIONEiRS. 233 
 
 Adult: Upper parts bluish gvay, top of head darker, tail crossed 
 with several blackish bands; lower parts white; breast and sides 
 with dr.sky or reddish bars. In immature birds the upper parts arc 
 dusky moie or less spotted with lighter, and under parts are whitish 
 with blackish streaks, 
 
 Xests and E.s-ffs. 
 
 This extremely daring and spirited little hawk is one of Ihe most 
 abundant of our North American species. It is found in Pennsylva- 
 nia as a resident, but during the spring and fall migrations — March, 
 April, KSeptember and October — it is much more plentiful than ar 
 other periods. The nests in this locality, according to my experi- 
 ence, are mostly built in low trees and are made up almost entirely 
 of small twigs. The eggs, mostly five in number, are nearly spher- 
 ical, white O'i' bluish white, marked with large and irregular splashes 
 or blotches of browu, and measures! about 1.40 by 1.16 inches. This 
 hawk occasionally feeds upon insects, mice and reptiles, but the 
 greater portion of its food consists of wild birds and poultry, particu- 
 larly young po'ultry. 
 
 When a pair of Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawks nest in the 
 neighborhood of a farm, where young chickens can be readily cap- 
 tured, they, if not speedily killed, will visit the place almost daily 
 until the young chickens have all been destroyed, and if the hawks 
 are not molested after a few visits to the coops, they seem to become 
 more bold and daring every day. 
 
 Fond of Young- Chickens, 
 
 Nuttall, writing of the Sharp-shinned Hawk says: "In thinly set- 
 tled districts this hawk seems to abound and proves extremely de- 
 structive to young chickens, a single bird having been known regu- 
 larly to come every day until he had carried away between twenty 
 and thirty." The same writer says he was <m.e day conversing with 
 a planter, when one of these hawks came down and without any 
 ceremony or heeding the loud cries of the housewife, w^ho most re- 
 luctantly witnessed the robbery, snatched away a chicken directly 
 before them. 
 
 Poultry and Game Destroyed. 
 
 This hawk does not by any means devote his attention exclusively 
 to young i>oultry when he comes about the farm yard, but often 
 may be seen to attack and kill chickens when two-thirds o^r full 
 grown. Pheasants or ruffed grouse, both old and young, also quail, 
 are destroyed in considerable nuTubers by Sharp-shinned Hawks. 
 Young rabbits and squirrels are occasioanlly captured by these 
 hawks, and on one occasion a few years ago a hunter of my acquain- 
 tance shot and presented to me a pair of these hawks which had 
 killed several wild turkeys, which he said were about one- third 
 grown. I have known both the Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Ha^ks, 
 
234 RE:F0RT of the Off. Doc. 
 
 which had probably been watching coveys of quail, to suddenly 
 swoop down and seize quail which had been shot by gunners, when 
 the sportsman was only a few yards from the quail he had killed or 
 wounded. Doves, which in recent years or since the wild pigeons 
 have disappeared from this region, are eagerly sought after by 
 sportsmen in many sections of the State, are very of ten, destroyed 
 by these hawks; they also sometimes attack the domestic pigeons, 
 and they destroy many meadow larks and thrushes. 
 
 Dr. A. K. Fisher, assistant ornithologist. United States Depart 
 Qient of Agriculture, in his admirable bulletin No. 3, on the Hawks 
 and Owls of the United States, very properly says: "Little can be 
 said in favor of this hawk, although its daring, courage and impu- 
 dence are to- be admired. On this and the two following species 
 ^Cooper's Hawk and Goshawk) mainly rests the responsibility for the 
 ill-favoT with which the other hawks are regarded. A score of valu- 
 able species suffer because they belong to a class which include two 
 or three noxious kinds. However, like most villains, it has at least 
 one redeeming quality, and that is its fondness for the English 
 sparrow, our imported bird nuisance." 
 
 Birds Destroyed. 
 
 The Sharp-shinned Hawk is known to kill and feed upon the fol- 
 lowing species of small wild birds which are common in this State: 
 Meadow Lark, Downy Woodpecker, 
 
 Common Robin, Goldfinch, 
 
 ! low Blackbird, Savanna Spari'ow, 
 
 Cow Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole, 
 
 Blue Bird, Chickadee, 
 
 Flicker, Hermit Thrush, 
 
 Red Eyed Vireo, • Fox Sparrow, 
 
 Black Throated Green Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, 
 Red-Winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, 
 
 Red-headed Woodpecker, White-throated SparroiW, 
 
 Cat Bird, Brown Thrush, 
 
 English Sparrow, Myrtle Warbler, 
 
 Song Sparrow, Common Pewee, 
 
 Tree Sparrow, Oven Bird, 
 
 Snow Bird, 
 
 This list could be considerably enlarged, as there are many other 
 kinds of birds which different observers have identified among 
 the strnrach contents of this hawii. The list, is, however, suflSciently 
 large lo give the general reader a very clear idea that the Sharp- 
 shinned is ever ready to capture and prey upon almost any bird he 
 can master. 
 
DUCK H AW K . 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 235 
 
 DUCK HAWK. 
 
 Tills bold and predatory iiawk, the largest of the typical falcons 
 found in this region, retires usually duiiiig the summer time to the 
 mourtainous districts, generally in the neigliborhood of large 
 streams, and in the winter season it is found as an irregular visitor 
 iu nearly all sections of our Commonwealth, The species breeds 
 regularly but sparingly in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Kills Fowls and Wild Biidr. 
 
 This hawk, like the Cooper's and Sliarp-shinned species previously 
 mentioned, is detrimental, but fortunately for the fanner and sports- 
 man, the Duck Hawk is a comparatively rare bird, and, except in 
 winter, is found usually about the larger rivers. However, when a 
 pair of tliese birds begin house-keeping on a high rocky ledge iu the 
 neighborhood of farm houses, they frequently destroy a good many 
 domestic fowls. 
 
 Two years ago, in midwinter, a farmer living along the Brandy^ 
 wine creek, near West Chester, brought to my office two of these 
 hawks which he had killed one evening at his carp pond where, he 
 stated, they went to catch his ducks and chickens. He said that 
 this pair of hawks had killed eight chickens and three ducks for 
 him in about a week. 
 
 Dr. C. n. Merriam (Birds of Conn.) referring to a Duck Hawk 
 which was shot on Falkner Island, Connecticut, says: "During her 
 brief visit she had made sad havoc among the terns, and her croi» 
 was greatly distended with their remains which had been swallowed 
 in incredibly large pieces; whole legs and long bones of the wings 
 were found entitre and unbroken. Indeed, slie was perfectly gorged 
 and contained the remains of at least two terns, besides a mass ct 
 newly hatched young." 
 
 Concerning the habit this species has of destroying ducks and 
 other game birds Audubon says: 'T3e pursues the smaller •iuc-ks-, 
 water hens, and other swimming birds; and. if they are not quick in 
 diving, seiz'is tluMu, an-! rises wiih them from the water. I have 
 seen this hawk come at the repoi t of a gun. and carry off a teal 
 not thirty steps distant from the sportsman who had killed it. with 
 a daring assurance as surprising as unexpected. This conduct has 
 been observed by many individuals, and is a characteristic trait of 
 this species. Tlie largest bird I have seen this hawk attack and 
 grapple with on the wing is the >lallard. 
 
 "The Duck Hawk does not, however, content himself with water 
 fowl. Tfe is generally seen following the fiO'Cks of pigeons and even 
 blackbirds, causing great terror in their ranks, and forcing them 
 to perform aerial evolutions to escape the grasp of his dreaded 
 talons. For several days I watched one of them that had taken a 
 partirular fancy to some tame pigeons, to secure which it went so 
 
236 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 far as to enter their house at one of the holes, seize a bird, and 
 issue by another hole in an instant, causing such terror among 
 the rest as to render me fearful that they would abandon the place. 
 However, I fortunately shot the depredator. They occasionally feed 
 on dead fish that have floated to the shores or sand-bars." 
 
 PIGEON HAWK. 
 
 This lilllc falcon breeds chiefly north of parallel 4:1", though, as Dr. 
 Fisher adds, "in the mountains it extends south of this latitude, and 
 in the mountains C'f some of the West India islands it is a summer 
 resident." I have observed this hawk only as a visitor during the 
 spring, fall and winter months. Future investigations, however, 
 may show that, as some assert, it occurs as a native in some of our 
 higher mountainous districts. 
 
 A Destructive Species. 
 
 Field observations and post-mortem examinations made by nu- 
 merous naturalists show very conclusively that, although the Pigeon 
 Hawk, will sometimes destroy poultry, tame pigeons and even game 
 birds as large as the ptarmigan, it i)re,\s mainly on various kinds 
 of small wild birds. It sometimes catches insects and small quad- 
 rupeds and at times it will, when pressed for food, feed on oifal. 
 
 In the stomachs of fifty-one of these hawks examined by Dr. A. 
 K. Fisher, forty-one contained small birds, and of these the follow- 
 ing species w^ere identified: 
 Song Sparrow, Swift, 
 
 English Sparrow, Flicker, 
 
 Indigo Bird, Warblers, 
 
 Field Sparrow, Bobolink, 
 
 Swamp Sparrow, Tree Swallow, 
 
 Chipping Sparrow, Red-eyed Vireo, 
 
 Goldfinch, Brown Creeper, 
 
 Thrush, Solitary Vireo. 
 
 BARRED OWL. 
 
 The Barred Owl is readily distinguished from other species by 
 its large size, yellow-colored bill and its black eyes. Barred Owls 
 are exceedingly abundant in many of the southern States, where 
 they are known by the names of "Hoot" and "Swamp Owls." In 
 Pennsylvania this owl is found throughout the year, and in many 
 of the mountainous and heavy-wooded regions; it is the most com- 
 mon of all the owls. The Barred Owl lays its eggs in a hollow 
 tree, or in the deserted nest of a hawk or crotw; the white eggs are 
 a little under 2 inches long by about If inches wide. The Barred 
 and Great-horned Owls are the only species, in this locality, whose 
 depredations to poultry and game are worthy of note. Unfortu- 
 nat<'ly, however, the hatred towards these two birds, and partieu- 
 
PIGEON H AW K 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 237 
 
 liiily (he cnmily agaiiisL the (Jieal Horned Owl has brought all our 
 owls in bad favor; the farmer's boy and sportsmen, with few ex- 
 ceptions, let no opportunityi pass to pillage an owl's nest or slay its 
 owners. 
 
 In this way, there are annually destroyed large numbers of 
 Screech, Long-eared and Short-eared owls simply because the popu- 
 lar idea is that all owls, large and small, prey only on jtoultry and 
 game. 
 
 The Barred Owl preys to a limited extent on poultry; he destroys 
 a good many grouse and various species of small wild birds. He 
 also catches mice and rabbits. Frogs, crawfish and some insects 
 are also devoured by this bird. I am quite confident that Audubon 
 was entirely correct in the statement that this owl often catches 
 fish, as I have several times been informed by reliable persons that 
 they have seen the Tiarred owl catch fish. Some few years ago a 
 Barred owl was seen in the act of catching a large brook trout at 
 the State Hatchery, at Allentown, Pa. In the winter of I880, I was 
 informed by two residents of Florida, both gentlemen whom I con- 
 sider thoroughly trustworthy, that this bird frequently preys on 
 fish, which it secures while sitting close to the water's edge, by a 
 dexterous movement of the foot. 
 
 HORNED GREBE. 
 
 This species is lecorded as quiet a common winter resident through- 
 out the United States, and although sometimes found nesting within 
 our northern limits, it retires chiefly north of the United States dur- 
 ing the breeding period (middle of .May to middle of August.) Au- 
 dubon (Birds of America) states that he found in Ohio, near Lake 
 P^rie, in the month of July, nests containing eggs in which incuba- 
 tion was well advanced. Dr. Cones (Birds of the Northwest) men- 
 tions that he has found it breeding at various points in North Da- 
 kota, where in June and July he secured both eggs and young, the 
 latter newly hatched. ''I'his species is recorded by Dr. E. A. Sam- 
 uels as nesting in more northern latitudes than New England. 
 
 The Homed Grebe is an irregular sojourner in Pennisylvania from 
 the middle of October until early in April. In the months of March 
 and April this diver is usually more numerous than at other times 
 during its residence with us. Although generally observed singly 
 or in pairs, and sometimes in parties of four, five or six, I have seen, 
 on three occasions, in the past ten years, flocks numbering from 
 twelve to twenty-five of these birds, during the spring migrations, on 
 the Susquehanna, Lehigh and Delaware rivers. Dt. Walter Van 
 Fleet and Burgess .1. H. Ferguson, both of Renovo, Clinton county. 
 Pa., recently informed me that in the latter part of IMarch or early 
 in April, 1894. large numbers of Horned Grebes appeared in various 
 streams anTl ponds in Central Pennsylvania and remained for two or 
 
238 liEPOKT OF THE Ofi;. D.x-. 
 
 tJiree days beiure passiug uoi'thward. Mr. Ferguson says there were 
 at least two hundred Grebes in the river at Kenovo, where many 
 were Ivilled by gunners. In a small pool, less than one roni across,. 
 Dr. Van Fleet secured over twenty. AudubO'ii, writing of the food 
 of Horned Grebes, says : "I have observed in the stomachs of almost 
 all I have examined a quantity of hair-like substances rolled to- 
 gether like the pellets of owls, but have not ascertained whether 
 or not these masses are disgorged. The food or this species, while 
 on salt water, is composed of shrimps, small lish and minute Crus- 
 tacea. While on fresh water they procure fish, insects, leechfis,. 
 smaU frogs, tadpoles and aquatic lizards; they also pick up the secds- 
 of grasses." 
 
 The stomach-oo'ntents of nine of these birds which I have examined 
 consisted mainly of sand, remains of fish, beetles and frogs and por- 
 tions of green- colored aquatio plants. In the stomachs of three 
 specimens I have found in addition to other food-stuffs, small bail- 
 like masses of feathers. 
 
 DABCHICK. 
 
 The Pied-billed Grebe, or Dabchick, is a common spring and fall 
 visitor, and in winter it is often seen, especially in the southern- 
 counties of the State. The Dabchick is the only one of the Grebes- 
 which has been known to naturalists, with whom 1 have correspond- 
 ed on the matter, to breed in Pennsylvania, but as a native the bird 
 Is rare, or if it breeds at all regularly with us, it retires to such 
 secluded situations that collectors rarely find it. In the counties- 
 of Crawford and Erie, Mr, Geo. E. Sennett has observed the species 
 as a "moderately common spring and fall migrant," and Mr. August 
 Koch, of Williamsport, has noted it in his locality, only as spring: 
 and fall visitor. Dr. John W. Detweiler, naturalist, residing at 
 liethlehem, Northampton county, writes me he has found it breed- 
 ing in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Prof. H. Justin Roddy, of the Millersville State Normal school,, 
 says: This Grebe about ten years ago bred in Perry county, Penn- 
 sylvania. The fO'llowing interesting and valuable notes oonicerning: 
 the nesting habits of the Pied-billed Grebe are given by Mr. Lang- 
 don in liis list, Summer Birds of a Northern Ohio ]\Iarsh: "The little 
 floating island of decaying vegetation held together by mud and 
 moss, which constitutes the nest of this species, is a veritable orni- 
 thological curiosity. Imagine a 'pancake' of what appears t(t be 
 mud, measuring twelve or fifteen inches in diameter, and rising twa 
 or three inches above the water, which may be from one to three 
 feet in depth; anchoir it to the bottom with a few concealed blades- 
 of 'sawgrass,' in a little open bay, leaving its circumference entirely 
 free; remove a mass of wet muck from its rounded top and you ex- 
 pose seven or eight soiled brownish-white eggs, resting in a de- 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMISSJONKRS. 239 
 
 Iiiessioii, the bottom of which is less than an inch from the water; 
 the whole mass is constantly damp. This is the nest of the Dab- 
 chick, who is out foraging on the marsh, or perhaps is anxiously 
 watching us from some safe corner nearby. 
 
 "The anchoring blades of coarse saw-grass or flags, being always 
 longer than is necessary to reach the bottom, permit) of considerable 
 lateral and vertical movement of the nest, and effectually provfde 
 against drowning of the eggs by an ordinary rise in the water-level 
 such as frequently occurs during the prevalence of strong easterly 
 winds on tlie lake. A small bunch of saw-grass already growing 
 in a suitable situation is evidently selected as a nucleus for the nest, 
 and the tops bent so as to form part of it. 
 
 "During the dav w^e invariably found the eggs concealed by a 
 covering of muck as above described; but, as we ascertained by re- 
 peated visits at night and in the early morning, they are uncovered 
 at dusk by the bird who incubates them until the morning sun re- 
 lieves her of her task." 
 
 THE LOON OR GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 
 
 This bird, the largest of all the divers, is about as large as a 
 medium-sized domestic goose. The Loon, known to many as the 
 Groat Northern Diver, is a regular and tolerably common spring and 
 fall migrant, frequenting, principally the rivers, larger streams and 
 lakes. In the winter, when streams and other bodies of water are 
 not frozen over, individuals of this species are frequently to be found 
 with us. Although not known to breed in Pennsylvania, these birds 
 are sometimes seen here in the breeding season. 
 
 Hon. N. F. Underwood, of Lake Como, Wayne county, and hunters 
 living in Wyoming and Susquehanna counties, have informed me 
 that solitary Loons are occasionally to be found throughout the sum- 
 mer months, inhabiting the numerous small lakes in the northeastern 
 parts of this Commonwealth. In Lycoming county, Mr. August 
 Koch says, "the Loon is a common visitor, oftener to be noticed in 
 the spring than in the fall, and occasionally single birds may be 
 nonced in the summer months." The Leon ever cautious and vigi- 
 lant, will dive at the flash of a gun and proceed under the water to 
 a very considerable distance before reappearing. These birds, it is 
 said, when endeavoring to eulde their enemies, and also at times when 
 in quest of food, swim under the water with greater rapidity than 
 they f y through the air. Writing of the Loon Nuttall says, in re- 
 ferring- to its voice: "Fi»r out at sea in winter, and in the irreat 
 western lakes, particularly Huron and Michigan, in summer, I have 
 heard or. a line, calm morning, the sad and wolfish call of the solitary 
 Loon, 'vhich, like a dismal echo, seems slowiy to evade the ear, and 
 rkiing as it proceeds, dies away in the air. This boding sound to 
 irariners. supposed to be indicative of a storm, may be heard some- 
 
240 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 ciiiios for two or three miles, when the bird itself is invisible, o\ 
 reduced almost to a speck in the distance." 
 
 The stomach-contents of seven Loons, captured during the winter 
 months in Chester, Delaware, Clinton and Lehigh counties. Pa., ccai- 
 sisted entirely of fish bones and scales; two other specimens, pur- 
 chaffed in the wiiilci- of 1S81 froiu a iiiiinc dealer in Philadelphia, 
 werij found to have fed on small seeds and portions of plants, ap- 
 parently roots. Individuals of this species are, it is said, so-metimes 
 found in the Hudson Bay region weighing as much as fifteen or six- 
 teen pounds apiece. Tlie female is somewhat smaller than the male. 
 The weight of three females taken in Pennsylvania in the early 
 spring ranged from seven to seven and three-quarters pounds each, 
 and two males, one taken on the Lehigh river, in the fall, the other 
 captured in Warren county, on the Allegheny river, in the spring, 
 tipped the scales each time at nine and three-quarter pounds. 
 
 THE BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. • 
 
 Next to the Green Eleron the Night Heron is unquestionably the 
 most abundant of the family in this State. The adult birds arc 
 easily distinguished from other herons by the black feathers on ri»p 
 of head and back, red eyes, and frequently three long, fine while 
 feathers, which grx)w from the base of the head. The appellation, 
 Night Heiou, is highly api>i'opriate, asi the bird is strictly nocturnal 
 in its habits. During the daytime the Night Heron is inactive, and 
 generally is found i)erched on a log or Ihe limb of a tree in a quiet 
 nook about the swauipe and streams. As twilight approacheg, this 
 drowsy wadC'' becomes, fis it were, a new being, impelled, no doubt, 
 by the pangs o-f hunger; he stands erect, the loose and shaggy plu- 
 mage, which b«-fore .seemed ill adapted to his body now fits nea: and 
 closely aa he carefully wallrs to the extremity of the dead and decor- 
 ticated limb Oil whieli lie lias been dozing, and suddenlv with a loud 
 squak launches himself mto the air, utteiing at short intervals hid 
 harsh note, and. rising above the tre(?s in the forest, he speedily 
 visits some mill dam. These birds arrive in Pennsylvania about 
 the 25th cf April jind remain until the latter part of September. 
 They seem to repair at once on their arrival in spring to localities 
 where they are accustomed to breed. After the breeding season, i. 
 e., about the middle of August, when the young are amply able to 
 provide for themselves, these birds forsake their nesting places and 
 ber'otne quite plenliful along the rivers, streams and bushy marshes. 
 
 The Night Heron rarely, if ever, breeds singly, but always in 
 large companies. I have visited, on different occasions, two of these 
 breeding resorts and found from twenty-five to seventy-five nests, 
 which like most of the other species, were built of stick and placed 
 usually in high trees. In Berks county, near Blue Rock, for manv 
 years rbis s]»ecies annually retf^red their young in the edge of a 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 241 
 
 large woods along the margin of which there was a gocd-sized 
 sti'ea]ii. In this place many of the nests were built in a bunch of 
 saplings, some fifteen or twenty feet high and so small in diameter 
 tluit it was impossible to climb them. 
 
 Wilson has very properly said that the noise of the old and young 
 in one of these breeding places would induce one to suppose that two 
 or three hundred Indians were choking and throttling each other. 
 The same writer in referring to examinations which he made, states 
 that the teeth of the pectinated claw were thirty-live to forty in 
 number, and, as they contained particles of the down of the bird, 
 showed evidently from this circunistance that they act the part of a 
 comb to rid the bird of vermin in those parts which it cannot reach 
 with its bill. The late Isaac G. Darlington, of West Chester, some 
 years ago had large numbers of gold fishes in a pond near his resi- 
 dence. One day Mr. Darlington caught twenty-five of these fish and 
 I)laced them in a small pool, intending to remove them the folloAviug 
 morning. "About bedtime," Mr. D. said, *'I heard a loud squawking, 
 and on going out saw two Night Herons actively engaged in catch- 
 ing these fish. 
 
 "I shot one of these robbers, which you there see mounted, on the 
 bookcase, and on making an investigation found only one of the 
 fish remaining." 
 
 "An accident may illustrate the habits of the Night Heron, and 
 perhaps of the whole family. A Night Heron had been noticed for 
 several days sitting on a tree near a branch of Wliite Clay creek. It 
 was at length shot and brought to me, with the tail of a large fish 
 in'ojecting four inches beyond its bill. On removing the fish (a sucker 
 (^atostomus, which must have been twelve inches long), its head 
 and shoulders, except the bony portions, were eaten away by the 
 gastric liquor of the stomach." — Michener. 
 
 1 have examined the stomachs of twenty odd of these herons, adult 
 and young, which have been shot in June at the breeding grounds, 
 and found in all only the remains of fishes. In two or three im- 
 mature birds, taken in August and September, I have discovered a 
 few grasshoppers and portions of insects. 
 
 BELTED KINGFISHER. 
 
 Kinarfishers are common along our rivers, streams and ponds, 
 about which they are found at all seasons, unless forced to migrate 
 southward by excessively cold weather. The loud and harsh cry of 
 this bird, as Wilson has properly stated, is not unlike the noise 
 made by twirling a watchman's rattle. "It is uttered while moving 
 from place to place, always on being disturbed, and even sometimes 
 when he is about to plunge into the water for fish. But especially 
 
 10-17-07 
 
242 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 is it lieaid .it iiij;ht wlicii the iiialc bird is ri^'luriiinu, to tlie nest witif 
 food foT his mate and young." — Gentry. 
 
 Their eggs are deposited in holes which they excavate in sides of 
 banks, usually about the streams and ponds they frequent. On 
 several occasions I have disoovei*ed their nests in high embank- 
 ments along public roads, railroad cuts and oFd quarries. The ex- 
 cavations vary greatly in depth, but average four or five feet; occa- 
 siorally you find one straight; commonly, however, they are directed 
 )tO the right or left of the main opening and terminate in quite a 
 large cavity. The eggs (1.30 by 1.06 inches) are white and usually 
 six in number, although 1 have seen, in several instances, seven. The 
 egg>i, according to my obserA^ation, are invariably deposited on the 
 bare earth. Mr. Gentry, however, tells us that he has "in many in- 
 stances known them to be deposited in a warm and cosy nest con- 
 structed of dried grasses and feathers." 
 
 Kingfishers feed almost entirely on fish. Their proficiency in 
 catching small fish is such that they are in bad repute among the 
 owners and proprietors of trout and carp ponds. Two gentlemen of 
 my acquaintance were so greatly annoyed by the loss of gold fish and 
 trout, which had been sustained from the regular visits of several 
 pairs of these birds, that they adopted the following means for their 
 destructiO'n: Stakes were driven about the ponds in several places; 
 the tops of the stakes were sufficiently large to support steel Iraps 
 which were set but not baited. The biids on visitino- the ])()nds 
 would invariably fly to one of the stakes and alight. In less than 
 one week, ten or twelve kingfishers were in this way trapped and 
 killed. A friend, some few years ago, informed me that he caught 
 one of these birds on a hook and line while fishing in the Brandy- 
 v^in*.'. near Chadd's Ford. My informant said he had a live bait 
 (minnow) on his hook, and he was winding up his line on the reel, 
 when he saw a kini>fisher plunge into 1lie water at liis bait, which it 
 not only caught, but at tlie same time liooked and entangled itself so 
 that it could not escape. 
 
 One day Mr. B. M. Everhardt. of West Chester, Pa., found a king- 
 fisher lying on the bank of a. small stream. On making an investi- 
 gation, Mr. Everhart ascertained that the bird was unable to fly, as 
 its bill was tightly clasped in the grasp of a large fresih-water mus- 
 sel. I have heard of two or three instances where kingfishers have 
 been captured under similar circumstances, which would naturally 
 lead one to suppose that they feed to a limited degree on the flesh 
 of these bivalves. According to certain writei's. this species is said 
 to feed occasionally, though rarely, on insects. Mr. E. A. Sanm 'Is 
 states Ihat he once shot a kingfisher which had just seized a mouse. 
 
 The writer has examined the stomach-contents of thirty-eight of 
 these birds which have been taken about streams and mill-ponds 
 of llii^ Stnt" dni'in'z rhe past ten years. Tliirtyeix stomachs con- 
 
■^:^-^' ^ 
 
 BLUE JAY 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 248 
 
 laiued only the remains of fish; one bird had, in addition to small 
 brook trout, a large water beetle in its stomach. The viscera of the 
 rrniainins kiuiilisher was empty. 
 
 Mr. C. K. Sober, of Lewisburg, Pa., found in the viscera of a single 
 kingfisher which he shot along Baker run, a tamous brook trout 
 stream in Clintc-n county, no less than thirteen small trout fry. Mr. 
 Sober, as well as many other sportsmen, who are familiar with the 
 liabits of the kingfisher, assert that these birds destroy immense 
 <HiaL!tities of trout. 
 
 It is a fact well known to every man who does much trout fishing 
 j'long our mountain si roams, that Kingfishers are almost always to 
 be O'bserved in no small number about such places, and as they are 
 voracious feeders there can be no question but what tlhey will, during 
 their sojourn in such places, commit great havoc to trout or other 
 fish. 
 
 Some years ago an acquaintance of the writer 'had a pond in 
 AA'hich he had a large number of gold fish. Two pairs of Kingfishers 
 had their nests in a sand quarry near the pond. These birds in one 
 summer made daily visits to the pond and destroyed nearly all the 
 small-sized fish in the place. 
 
 The disposition on the part of a large number of the citizens of 
 tliis State in favor of bounties for the heads of different birds and 
 mammals, is very marked. There are unquestionably several spe- 
 <i( s of hav\ks and owls and a few mammals which do much damage 
 to the agricultural and game interests. Unfortunately, however, 
 tlierp is so little attention paid by the masses to the subject of birds 
 '■uvl mammals that when bounty acts are passed it usually happens 
 that great numbers of beneficial species are slain because the 
 hunters aie unable to distinguish one species from another. In 
 the early part of February last a circular was sent out by the Game 
 Ccmnrission to sportsmen throughout the State. Among the ques- 
 tions as^ked was the following: 
 
 "Are you in favor of a bountv on thp King-fisher?" 
 
 In reply to this (luestion it was learned from about sixteen hun- 
 dred answi-rs received that fully one thousand persons who replied 
 to the qi<erry favored a bounty for this bird. A number of the 
 correspondents claimed that Kingfishers destroyed great numbers 
 of brook trout as well as other fish. 
 
 BLI'E JAY. 
 
 The Blue Jay is found in Pennsylvania during all seasons of the 
 year, but in the autumn and summer months this species is much 
 more plentiful than at other periods. This lt)eautiful bird is an 
 inhabitant chiefly of forests. During the breeding season the Jays 
 associate in pairs, but in the late summer and autumn it is not un- 
 usual to find them in small flocks. I have seen on several occ.isions 
 
244 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 as maay as twenty-live of these birds feeding in beech, chestnut or 
 cedai- trees. Botli sexes engage in nest-building, which, in this 
 latitude, is begnn about the 20th of April. A nest which I saw the 
 birds building was completed in five days. The nest, a strong bulky 
 structure, composed chiefly of twigs and fine roots, is placed com- 
 monly in a tree in the woods; sometimes, though rarely in this 
 locality, nests are built in low bushes. The eggs, four to -ix in 
 number, mostly five, are greenish or brownish-gray, spotted with 
 brown. Length about 1.15 inches, width .84 of an inch. In Florida 
 the Blue Jay nests some five or six weeks earlier than in this lati- 
 tude; at least I suppose this to be the case, as I luive seen these birds 
 collecting sticks, etc.. as early as the first week in March. 
 
 In reference to the food of this species. Mr. E. A. Samuels writes 
 as follow-s: "Its fc-od is more varied than that of almost any other 
 bird that we have. In winter the berries of the cedar, barberry or 
 black-thorn, with the few eggs or cocoons of insects tliat it is able to 
 find, constitute its chief sustenance. In early si»rin<i' the opening 
 buds of shrubs, caterpillars and other insects, aiTord it a meager 
 diet. Later in the spring, and through tlie greater part of summer, 
 the eggs and yo'ung of the smaller birds constitute its chief food, 
 varied by a few insects and early berries. Later in the summer, 
 and in early autumn, small fruits, grains and a few insects afford it a 
 bountiful provender; and later in the autumn w^hen the frosts have 
 burst open the burs of chestnuts and beechnuts and exposed the 
 brown ripe fruit to view these form a palatable and acceptable 
 food, and a large share of these delicious nuts fall to the portion 
 of these busy and garrulous birds*" 
 
 The Blue Jay is a notorious destroyer of bird's nests; while the 
 eggs and young of the smaller species which nest in trees are 
 usually attacked by the robber-jays, they often hunt out and despoil 
 the homes of ground nesting species. The eggs and young of pheas- 
 ants are frequently destroyed by Jays. While it is true tfiat the 
 Blue Jay destroys a good many noxious insects, there is nO' doubt 
 but w^hat this bird does a great deal of harm by devouring the eggs 
 and young of numerous beneficial song and insectivoirous birds. 
 Like the crow and common blackbird the Blue Jay occasionally re- 
 ji'jirs to shallow water to catch small fish on which it will fcedj 
 Seme years ago Mr. 0. K, Sober, a member of our Game Oommission, 
 was fishing for trout along one of the streams in Centre county, 
 when he say a Blue Jay along the water's edge trying to catch fish. 
 A few minutes after seeing the bird Mr. Sober hooked a smalbsized 
 trout and caught his line in a bush: and when he was endeavoring 
 to untangle his line he was surprised to see the Jay fly down to the 
 bush w^here the hook, line and fish were caught, and seize the irout 
 and endeavor to carrv it awav. 
 
No. 17. FISH COMMJgSlONERS. 245 
 
 Aiulubon writing of the Blue Jay says: "It robs every nest it can 
 find, sucks the eggs like the crow, or tears to pieces and devours the 
 young birds, A friend once wounded a pheasant and marked the 
 direction which it followed, but had not proceeded two hundred jards 
 in pursuit, w^hen he heard something fluttering in the bushes, aid 
 found his bird belabored by two Blue Jays who were picking out its 
 eyes. The same person once put a flying squirrel into the cage of one 
 of these birds, merely to preserve it for one night; but on looking into 
 the cage about eleven o'clock next day he found the mammal partly 
 eaten. A Blue Jay in Charleston destroyed all tbe birds in an 
 aviary." 
 
 MAMMALS WHICH EAT FISH. 
 
 Wild cats, raccoons and muskrats all, it is claimed, catch fish, 
 yet the damage they do in this direction does not, from reports at 
 hand, appear to be worthy of particular notice. 
 
 The greatest damage done by muskrats seems to be caused by the 
 injury to dams and fish ponds caused by their subterranean passages, 
 rather than to their fondness for the flesh of the finny inhabitants. 
 The food of the muskrat is, from the writer's observation, chieily 
 of a vegetable character. In fact numerous reports are on file in 
 the writer's possession, showing that in some portions of our ?itate 
 muskrats do considerable damage every year to com and other crops 
 in the vicinity of the streams and ponds whicli they inhabit. 
 
 The Mink and Otter, however, are both great devoiirers of fish, and 
 the former unquestionably is a serious hindrance at times to fish 
 culture. 
 
 The Otter, chiefly piscivorous in habit, does compnratively little 
 damage because there are so few of these shy and valuable fur- 
 bearing animals within the limits of our State. According to the 
 statements of various fur dealers in this Commonwealth, not over 
 fifty otters are annually captured in Penn.sylvania. 
 
 THE MINK. 
 
 It is not a pretty animal with its long, low. flat head, small eyes, 
 ears so tiny as to be hardly longer than the fur, with stiff, strong 
 bristley whiskers, w^hich grow not only in the ordinary way, but 
 beliind the eyes, middle of shin, and on wrists and ankles. Hia 
 snout, devoid of hairy covering, is prominent and inquisitive and his 
 feet are semi-palmate and broad, with palms and soles furry around 
 the pads. His body long and rat-like, covered with "densely soft and 
 matted fur, is mixed with long, stiff and lustrous hairs." This cov- 
 ering is sometimes a light yellowish brown and changes from this 
 to a rich blackish, chocolate brcwn for black.) A patch of white 
 usually occupies its under jaw, and occasionally we find such patches 
 on its under parts, and in rare cases the ti]> of its bu.shy and some- 
 iwhat tapering tail is white. 
 
246 REI'ORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 'Tis a wonderfully strong animal considering its weight, which 
 averages in an adult two pounds. Water is as much its home as the 
 land, and its depredations in both are of great annoyancei and griev- 
 ance to fishermen and farmers alike. How they are disliked by the 
 farmers. The mountain streams are sources of vast revenue to these 
 pests, for the pretty, gamey trout yield up their lives iii number to 
 them, proving Mr. Mink to be an epicure. 
 
 His home is usually to be found along streams and marshy 
 grounds and his voracious appetite is helped to partial satisfaction 
 by the birds which inhabit such haunts and which nest on and near 
 the ground. He doesn't confine himself to birds and fish alone, but 
 I'eptiles are one of the courses of his long continued and frequently 
 taken meals. Some fifty letters from different parts of Pennsylvania 
 tell of his nocturnal wanderings, so disastro-us to the poultry yards. 
 Twenty chickens in one night seems a good many, but from Hon. A. 
 L. Martin, Lawrence county, we hear of a mink (a blacis one by the 
 way) who made way with thirty-seven chickens, eight weeks old, 
 in one night. Mr. L. C, Oberlin, of Indiana county, writes that they 
 will in one night kill as many as forty chickens and turkeys; and 
 numerous are the complaints and many are the demands for bounties 
 on these rniserable, blood-thirsty creatures. They cut the throats of 
 their jjrey, suck the blood and in many cases leave the bodies un- 
 eaten. A letter from S. S. Thomas, Susquehanna county, shows 
 their neatness and cleverness. The continued disappearance of a 
 number of catfish caused their whilom owners to investigate care- 
 fully for the cause and piled up under a log he discovered the bodies 
 of twenty of the missing fish. A trap caught the miscreant and 
 ended the thefts. 
 
 Eggs he eats wholesale and wholly, not sucking them, but taking 
 them in their entirety. Minks are not without their use, however, 
 for their fine, soft thick fur has its market value and in consequence 
 he is much so-ught after by fur-dealers. 
 
 NOTES ON FOOD OF MINKS. 
 
 The following extracts concerning the fish-eating habits of the 
 Mink are taken from letters received by the writer from farmers, 
 fishermen and naturalists residing in various sections of Pennsylva- 
 nia. 
 
 >'R. PTFPSON, DYSERT, PA.: 
 
 Minks destroy an immense amount of trout here. They catch 
 them after they run them under a stone or log, when they have them 
 cornered. I, on one occasion, trailed a mink that caught from fifteen 
 to twenty trout in one night and eat part of each. 
 
No. 17. FISJI COMMISSION PJRS. 247 
 
 MR. A. W. RHOADS, WILKES-BARRE, PA.: 
 
 I have personal knowledge of the catching of fish by Mink and 
 raccoon ; they dive for them in shallow waters. 
 
 MR ARTHUR MARTIN, SANDY LAKE, PA.: 
 
 Minks have killed some fish for us in ponds. 
 
 HON. GKRARD C. BROWN, YORKANA, PA.: 
 
 Minks are still around brooks and are good fishers. A Mink 
 won't take long to clean out a small trout pond. 
 
 HON. JOHN M. BUCKAT.EW, FISHING CREEK. COLUMBIA CO., PA.: 
 
 Minks destroy fish; sink down in the water to catch and come up 
 to the surface to consume. Minks are numerous and a damage to 
 the communities where found. 
 
 MR. SAMUEL M. DOWNS, MAUCH CHUNK, PA.: 
 
 I have no personal knowledge, but reports of the mink depreda- 
 tions to fish are common; having a semi-palmated loot and bein;,' 
 expert swimmers and divers, they experience little difficulty in cap- 
 turing the prey. 
 
 MR. FRED. F. WELD. SUGAR GROVE, WARREN COUNTY, PA.: 
 
 I have occasionally seen dead fish along Stillwater creek, killed 
 and partially eaten by Minks, but have never observed their method 
 of capture. 
 
 MR. E. W. CAMPBELL, WEST PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO., PA.: 
 
 Trout have been killed by Minks, as they have been caught at it. 
 
 MR. H. C. KIRKPATRICK, MEADVILLE, CRAWFORD CO., PA.: 
 
 I have only seen the Mink fishing once. When duck shooting in 
 Oonneaut Marsh, I noticed a great coinmotion in the water just be- 
 neath an oak tree which overhung the water. Thinking it might be 
 a vood duck, I made a large circle and came out under the tree: 
 cra^^'ling up to where I could look over the bank I saw a large Mink 
 about ten feet from me; it seemed to be hunting in the weeds for 
 something; in a moment it disappeared under the water; in about 
 fifteen or twenty seconds it reappeared with something in its mouth 
 and swimming to shore jumped out on the bank where it shook it as 
 a dog shakes a rat. After it was apparently dead the mink dropped 
 it and sniffed around it a few times and disappeared in the under- 
 brusli. Then I went to where the objct was lying and found it 1o 
 be a large species of Salamander about one foot long. Although 
 they are not a fish it illustrates to a certain extent the mink's manner 
 of fishing for that kind of game. 
 
24S REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 
 
 OTTO BEHR, LOPEZ, PUI.I.IVAN COUNTY, PA. • 
 
 Minks are xerj good fishers. Saw one come out of an open riffle 
 in winter with a large trout in its mouth which it had caught acrcnss 
 its back; on another occasion I caught one dragging a good-sized eel 
 along in the snow. Thej sometimes get into chicken coops and kill 
 a dozen or more fowls in a single night. 
 
 W. J. STULT., COALPORT, CLEARFIED CO., PA.: 
 
 "Slv. Thomas Millen informs me that a Mink has taken qnite a 
 number of fish from his fish pond by diiving or plunging after them. 
 
 PAUL SWINGLE, SOUTH CANAAN, WAYNE COUNTY, PA.: 
 
 Minks are very destructive to fish; they swim through the water 
 and catch them. 
 
 S. S. THOMAS, LYNN, SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PA.: 
 
 A few years ago I had a large number of catfish and one eel in a 
 box in my spring drain. Their continual disappearance (the eel 
 among the rest) surprised me, but I one day discoyered as many as 
 twenty of the bull-heads (catfish) piled up under a log nearby. A 
 steel trap stopped the theft and added half a dollar to the yodng.-^tf.r's 
 j)0pket money in the Avay of Mink bounty. 
 
 ZIBA SCOTT, SPRING BROOK, LACKAWANNA CO., PA.: 
 
 The Mink likes fish; brook trout suits him best if he can get 
 them. He is an expert swimmer; goes under the water and catches 
 them easily. T have shot two within the past year with trout in 
 their mouths. The last one had a trout eight inches long. 
 
 C. P. MOTT. MILFORD, PIKE CO., PA.: 
 
 Minks undoubtedly kill many fish. 
 
 GEARY C. BELL, MAPLEWOOD, WAYNE CO., PA.: 
 
 A Mink got into a carp pond last winter and destroyed a great 
 many carp, some of which were nearly two feet long. 
 
 J. B. OVIATT, NORWICH, McKEAN CO., PA.: 
 
 Have often seen where Minks have caught fish in winter time 
 and have brought them on shore and eat or hid them. Minks have 
 no trouble in catching fish when the water is Ic-w. 
 
 J. C. HEYLER, NAUVOO, TIOGA COUNTY, PA.: 
 
 Minks destroy poultry and birds, but the greatest damage done 
 by tliem is to brook trout, which is their principal living: they also 
 catch other fish, but trout is their favo-rite fish diet. 
 
 H. C. DORWORTH, OIL CITY, VENANGO CO.. PA.: 
 
 Have seen a Mink catch a trout in one of our neighboring streams, 
 in the winter, by diving under the overhanging bank (where the trout 
 
No. 17. FISH COMAJIKSjONERS. 249 
 
 •usually stay in winter) and catch the trout as they attempted to 
 swim past him. Minks, two years ago, killed all the carp, forty in 
 number, in a pond in Sage run. As these fish work down into the 
 mud .in winter, the minks 1 nd no difficulty in catching them. 
 
 GEORGE FRANC, ARIEL, WATXE CO., PA.: 
 
 The Mink destroys tisli, ]!ai'ticulaily brook trout, and he is also 
 very destuctive to domestic fowls, especially chickens. 
 
 EMU. TJL.RICH, STROUDSBURG, MONROE CO., PA.: 
 
 Minks destroy fish, particularly brook trout, and they usually 
 catch the largest onesi they find in the deep holes. 
 
 JOHN KELLOW, CARLEY BROOK, WAYNE CO., PA.: 
 
 jMinks are at home under the water where they readily capture 
 fish. They annually destroy great numbers of trout. 
 
 "W. R. PARKS, ATHENS, BRADFORD CO., PA.: 
 
 Minks are expert fishermen. They kill large numbers of tro it. I 
 once shot a Mink with a larire trout in its mouth. 
 
 From these quotations it will be seen that Minks unquestionably 
 are great destroyers of fish. While it is well known that they will 
 catch and feed upon almoist any species o-f the finny tribe whicfi they 
 can secure, these amphibious animals have, there is little doubt, a 
 preference for the toothsome and beautiful brook trout. The nura- 
 iK^r of Iront which blinks annually Icill about our mountain streams 
 is no doubt considerable. 
 
r250; 
 
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