SOME LITTLE OWLS 99 



On account of his propensity for instantly in- 

 vestigating every call that resembles a mouse- 

 squeak, it is the easiest thing in the world to 

 play tricks on him. The squeak produced by 

 chirping sharply with tight lips will decoy him 

 always, if he is within hearing range, and in the 

 calm of evening on the prairie this magnetic ef- 

 fect may be produced at a most uncanny dis- 

 tance. I have called him up to me while walk- 

 ing and driving along the road; and one even- 

 ing while bicycling I coaxed one fellow to fol- 

 low me for about half a mile. He would come 

 bobbing up without hesitation and eye me with 

 his yellow stare, at a distance of a few feet, then 

 turn and jog off in search of smaller game. I 

 always kept quiet when he was close, so that the 

 deception would not be too palpable, but when 

 he had gone off a little distance, a few chirps al- 

 ways brought him back again. Several times 

 during the shooting-season I have called him 

 while I was hidden in my blind. His sense of di- 

 rection often seemed marvelous. Even though 

 he might be hunting in the opposite direction, 

 he would whirl about and usually make a very 

 clever guess as to the location of the " mouse." 



One evening while I was hidden in a big 



