tion by incessant hissing and loud snapping of the mandibles, 

 while the Barn Owl made h;is annoyance even more manifest 

 by raising his wings and, after prolonged hissing, depressing 

 his head and vigorously wagging it from side to side. The 

 descriptive labels, prepared for this exhibit, have been eagerly 

 read and a brief talk upon the habits of these birds was attend- 

 ed by fifty people. 



The following account is intended as a guide to a study of 

 the owls of Charleston and vicinity. 



Owls belong to the order Raptores or Birds of Prey. 

 They are distributed widely over the whole world, about 20 

 species inhabiting our own country. Although their reputation 

 hasi been none of the best, investigations carried on by Dr. 

 Fisher for the Department of Agriculture have proved that 

 most of these birds are valuable allies of the farmers and should 

 be protected by law. They are carnivorous, hunting by night, 

 and thus the small army of destructive rodents, which, by rea- 

 son of their own nocturnal habits, escape day-time enemies, 

 hawks etc., are kept in check by these night prowlers. 



The owls are admirably adapted for hunting. Their hearing 

 is exceedingly acute, their vision keen at night and their claws 

 and bill hooked and sharp. Their very soft, downy feathers 

 rendcfr the flight practically noiseless, while their sober color- 

 ing — the entire absence of gay plumes — makes concealment 

 easy. 



The prey, unless too large, is swallowed whole, — skin^ 

 bones, and feathers, fur or hair all at one mouthful. Twenty- 

 four hours later, the indigestible matter, rolled up into a large, 

 round pellet, is ejected from the mouth. It is by examination 

 and identification of the remains found in these pellets that the 

 expert zoologist has concluded that the depredations com- 

 mitted in the poultry-yard are more than offset by the number 

 of destructive mammals and insects destroyed. 



The favorite localities for the home of the owl are the 



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