AVES 349 



and insects. Distending a stiff wing, they receive the bite of a 

 snake, stun the reptile and kill it. 



There are eighteen species of owls in the United States. Among 

 the commonest forms are the barn owl, the long-eared owl, the barred 

 owl, the great gray owl — an Arctic bird never found south of the Ohio 

 River, and the screech owl. The great horned owl, sometimes called 

 the " tiger of the air," is a bloodthirsty game killer. Besides killing 

 poultry, it is of great importance as a destroyer of rodents. It is 

 the only owl that can be considered an enemy of man. The snowy 

 owl comes from the Arctic zone to the Northern part of the United 

 States in the winter. It feeds upon wild game and rodents, but 

 avoids poultry yards. The bun-owing owl is found in prairie dog 

 holes in the Southwestern states. It does not prey upon the " dogs " 

 but avoids them and their companions (?) the rattlesnakes. Bur- 

 rowing owls are able to dig their own holes, and certainly do not 

 go down into homes already occupied. 



Order 13. Psittaci. {Paj-rots and paroquets.) — The parrots are 

 brilliantly colored with great ability to mimic. They live to a great 

 age (seventy-five years) and learn to talk quite readily. At times 

 they display remarkable memory for certain expletives uttered by 

 their owners in moments of stress. The African Gray parrot with 

 a red tail is the best talker. The brush-tongued parrots, found in 

 Australasia, have an odd " brush " at the end of the tongue, adapted 

 to feeding on honey. The paroquets are extremely small parrots 

 found in the United States, in Florida. They feed on fruit and seeds. 

 The macaws are large scarlet and blue birds with long pointed tails 

 and horrible voices. The hyacinthine macaw of Brazil feeds on 

 nuts of the palm, macuja, crushing them by means of its powerful 

 beak. The cockatoos are usually snow-white, with long triangular 

 erectile crests. They are frequently trained for vaudeville exhibi- 

 tion. A giant black species from New Guinea with a slender 

 cylindrical tongue, and an enormous beak, is able to open the 

 excessively hard " canary nut." 



Order 14. Coccyges. — The cuckoos are best known from their 

 peculiar habit of placing eggs in other birds' nests. Instead of 

 building a nest of her own, the female lays the egg on the ground, 

 then carries it in her bill to some other nest. This parasitic habit 

 belongs to the Old World Cuckoo, for the American cuckoo builds 

 its own nest. 



The Coraciae are sub-orders having affinities with the cuckoos 



