330 WILD WINGS 



single, long-focus member of the doublet lens. Though the 

 shutter did not seem to alarm her, she was not quite ready 

 to brave the camera, so she flew, and it was not until the 

 third approach that she actually alighted on the nest and 

 went to brooding. All this had taken her a little over an 

 hour. I did not attempt as yet to change the plate, wishing 

 her to learn that the camera was harmless. She remained 

 seven minutes over her young, and then flew of^ of her own 

 accord. 



Just after her first approach to the nest, her mate for the 

 first time made himself heard, at least by us. At the western 

 edge of the grove, farthest away from roads and farms, he 

 began to hoot, the regular cry of the owl which is usually 

 heard, — " too-whoo-o, whoo, whoo," — soft and mellow in 

 tone, yet audible at a considerable distance. Indeed, while 

 at work during fall, winter, and early spring, my friend 

 who showed me the locality had heard three different 

 owls hooting at once, from as many tracts of woodland. 

 It was noon, and cjuite bright, with cc^nsiderable snow in 

 patches on the ground, yet the owl was awake and hooting. 

 For about a tjuarter of an hour he hooted onc-e or twice 

 a minute. 



In the absence of the female owl I ascended the tree again 

 and set the camera. It was nearly another hour before she 

 came back, and twice more I pulled the thread on her when 

 she perched conspicuously near the nest. I believed I had 

 secured some splendid pictures. We reached home at dark, 

 and after supper I hurried to the dark-room. In one case 

 only half the owl was upon the plate, the camera ha\'ing 

 moved, and in the others the bird was more or less hidden 

 by the branches. 



On the fifteenth of April I made the trip again, this time 

 alone. It was quite mild and bright. Only patches of snow- 



