. Diseases and enemies of poultry . feeds on the smaller mammals, suchas mice, lemmings and ground squirrels as well as insects o£various kinds, while in winter, when the snow is deep and itsfavorite food is hidden, it follows the large flocks of ptarmigansand subsists on them. Dr. Dall seldom found anything butmice in the crops of those he dissected in Alaska, and the fol-lowing from Dr. Coues mentions the same food: It feeds chieflyupon tield mice (Arvicolae) which swarm in the sphagnousvegetation of arctic lands; also upon small birds, grasshoppersand other insects. (Birds of the Northwest.
. Diseases and enemies of poultry . feeds on the smaller mammals, suchas mice, lemmings and ground squirrels as well as insects o£various kinds, while in winter, when the snow is deep and itsfavorite food is hidden, it follows the large flocks of ptarmigansand subsists on them. Dr. Dall seldom found anything butmice in the crops of those he dissected in Alaska, and the fol-lowing from Dr. Coues mentions the same food: It feeds chieflyupon tield mice (Arvicolae) which swarm in the sphagnousvegetation of arctic lands; also upon small birds, grasshoppersand other insects. (Birds of the Northwest. 1S74. p. 312.) Mr. Henry Seebohm speaks of its food as follows; The prin-cipal food of the Hawk Owl is mice and lemmings, and thebird follows the migratory parties of the last named littlemammal to prey upon them. From its indomitable spirit, how-ever, few birds of the forest are safe from its attack. In addi-tion to the smaller birds which it captures, Wheelwright men-lions the fact that he has seen the Hawk Owl strike down the. I AMERICAN HAWK OWL. 258 Siberian jay, and has also disturbed it feeding on an old wil-Jow grouse. The same naturalist has also taken insects fromits stomach. (Hist. British Birds, Vol. I, 1883. p. 184.) The species is tame and unsuspicious, and may be ap-proached easily without being alarmed; in fact, specimenshave been known to return to the same perch after being shotat two or three times. It is a courageous bird, and will de-fend its nest against all intruders. A male once dashed atDr. Dall and knocked off his hat as he was climbing to thenest; other similar accounts show that the courage displayedon this occasion was not an individual freak, but a commontrait of the species. Although the flight is s\\ ift and hawk-like, it has neverthe-less the soft, noiseless character common to the other starting from any high place, such as the top of a tree,it usually pitches down nearly to the ground, and flies off rap-idly above the tops of the b
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