SILENT WING THE GREAT HORNED OWL 151 



feathers that it does not mind the most intense cold and 

 for this reason those in the United States do not migrate, 

 tho if food becomes scarce in one neighborhood they may 

 move to another. 



A few days before our birds were ready to leave the nest 

 the duck hunter of the neighborhood happened by. This 

 man killed not alone for the fun of killing but for the fun 

 of telling about it later. To kill a great horned owl would 

 furnish something to talk about in his favorite loafing 

 places for days to come. Wild geese and ducks were com- 

 ing in abundance and he was now tramping up and down 

 the river almost every day, from long before sunrise till it 

 was too dark to shoot. 



And so he came to the hollow nest tree. What is the 

 need of telling more ? His sharp eye detected the owl doz- 

 ing in the willows. She heard him and promptly started 

 to cross the river, but even a river is no protection against 

 swift-flying duck shot. She fell in the middle of the 

 stream, whether dead or alive the hunter never knew or 

 cared, and was soon carried out of sight by the current. 

 On the way home that evening he passed the boy's house 

 and after showing his string of ducks incidentally men- 

 tioned killing the owl. Then the boy knew it was '*up to 

 him.'' These birds must not starve. One he might hope to 

 keep at home as a pet but never would he be allowed five. 



That night his trusty target rifle was given a thorough 

 cleaning and early the next morning he sallied forth to se- 

 cure a supply of rabbit meat to feed his wards. Sour milk 

 curd was abundant just then and that would make a wel- 

 come addition to the stock of provisions, and a few days' 

 care was all the fledglings could hope to receive. The 

 boy's mother was always a sympathizer and a confederate 



