The third bird-killer is the goshawk (Astur atricapillus), which inhabits Canada and north ern Europe, where it has always been one of the favorites of falconers. It is much larger than the others, measuring 22 to 24 inches from bill-tip to tail-end; and when adult is bluish above, crown darker, has a broad whit ish stripe over the eye, the whole under surface finely marked with gray and white, and the long tail crossed by four narrow dark-brown bars. Immature young are dusky brown, mot tled with reddish and buff. This bold northern marauder is variously called blue hen-hawk, blue darter, dove-hawk, etc., but it is rarely seen in the United States except in midwinter.
The three falcons described above are the true and are unprotected by law. They, and they alone, are responsible for virtu ally all the loss of poultry and game-birds. The description of the methods of the sharpshin given by W. B. Barrows in his admirable 'Birds of Michigan) (Lansing 1912) will answer for those of the others: This is the common " chicken-hawk " of the farmers, and probably is responsible for most of the loss of small chickens. The bird has a habit of dashing suddenly among the poultry, picking up a small chicken in its claws, and carrying it away so quickly that it is commonly impossible to kill the robber. It is very likely to return the same day or the next, and to repeat its visits indefinitely until killed. Unlike the buzzard-hawks, the Cooper's and sharpshin seldom wheel aloft on. the lookout for food, but fly swiftly and silently from place to place, flapping the wings rapidly for a few seconds and then gliding noiselessly, always alert and watchful, and ever ready to drop like an arrow on come unsuspecting victim.
Two other small falcons, the pigeon-hawk and the sparrow-hawk, catch small birds when their young are in the nest, and need tender food, but the former is so uncommon, and the latter so little addicted to chicken-stealing, that they need not be feared. Both live principally on insects and mice, the beautiful little spar row-hawk being particularly helpful by its con stant pursuit of grasshoppers and crickets. The duck-hawk, or peregrine, is an enemy to game birds and waterfowl, but is now rare and ex tremely shy of humanity.
Beneficial The large hawks so often seen in the country sailing above the fields or perched on some tree at the edges of the woods belong to the genera Buteo and Archibuteo, and are known as ((buzzard They do not possess the knightly qualities we admire in the falcons, but unfor tunately have constantly to answer for the sins of those dashing gentry. Familiar species in
the Eastern States and provinces are the red tailed, the red-shouldered, the broad-winged and the rough-legged buzzard-hawks. The roughleg, so called because feathered down to the toes, is a northern species, visiting the Uni ted States only in winter, when it ranges the fields in search of mice; it is entirely harmless and should be rigidly protected by farmers. Another species deserving of special mention because it is everywhere numerous and a valu able ally of the hard-working agriculturist is the marsh-hawk (Circus cyaneus). It is to be seen only in low, open places where, flying slowly and low, and nesting on the ground, it great numbers of mice, frogs and grass gets great but no birds. No hawk is more harmless or serviceable, especially as a destroyer of field-mice, that worst pest of the farmer, and it should never be killed. It is easily recog nized by its low flight, bluish tint and con spicuous white rump.
Most of these big, slow hawks range across the continent in western varieties; and in ad dition several species belong exclusively to the plains and mountains of the West while the southwestern border of the United States is en tered by several subtropical species, some of which range in summer far up the Californian coast. While indignant and undiscriminating farmers and poultrymen are likely to call all or any of these Then-hawks,' the mischief of which they are guilty in the nesting-season is so small that it is negligible in comparison with the benefit they render all the year round by their destruction of rabbits, ground-squirrels, gophers, field-mice, grasshoppers, grickets and other injurious creatures that cost the fanner and gardener enormous aggregate loss. No poultry will be sacrificed, even to the bold sharpshin and blue darters when it is housed or brush-sheltered and cared for as good poul try ought to be; and it is the height of folly to shoot hawks indiscriminately. Consult Fisher, 'Hawks and Owls of the United States in their Relation to (Washington 1893) ; Forbush, 'Useful Birds and their Pro tection' (Boston 1907) ; Weed and Dearborn, 'Birds in their Relation to Man' (Philadelphia 19(13) ; and general works mentioned under