Hawk Show

Many a U. S. city is plagued by the noise and dirt of starlings in winter, of sparrows the year round. To the relief of pestered inhabitants occasionally come hawks. In Hartford, Conn, last winter three hawks entertained and gratified townspeople by their daily raids on the city's swarm of starlings. Last week two "sparrow" hawks* were putting on the same kind of helpful show in Springfield, Ill.

A downtown building in Springfield had become infested with thousands of sparrows. One afternoon someone noticed the two hawks hovering over the spot, stopped to watch them swoop and kill. Next afternoon the hawks came to hunt again. More people stopped to watch. Before long three traffic policemen were needed to handle the hundreds who gathered daily to watch the aerial raids. Because the hawks always came at about 5:15 p. m. a merchant got the idea of starting a daily pool based on the fractional minute of the birds' appearance. Soon everyone from Mayor J. W. Kapp Jr. down was buying tickets.

* The small American sparrow hawk usually feeds on grasshoppers and other insects, sometimes attacks mice and small birds in winter.

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