146 OUR WINTER BIRDS 



the fact that these Owls live in the far north where, 

 in summer, the sun is visible during the entire twenty- 

 four hours and consequently there is no real night, 

 has made it impossible for them to wait for dark- 

 ness before starting forth on their hunt for food. 

 Indeed, in the fall, when the long winter night comes, 

 these Owls migrate southward to latitudes where the 

 sun can be seen for a part of each day, and although 

 their twenty-fours are then divided into periods of 

 darkness and light, they still retain their habit of 

 hunting by day. 



The Food of Owls 



The studies of the food of birds made by the 

 Biological Survey in Washington, have proved that 

 mice form the largest part of the fare of Owls. 

 They also eat large numbers of grubs and insects 

 and are, therefore, valuable allies of the farmer. 



The Great Horned Owl, it is true, shows an un- 

 due fondness for poultry and game, and is therefore 

 not deserving of the protection which should be 

 given our other members of this family. Their 

 records as mousers are clearly shown by the follow- 

 ing figures based on examinations of the contents 

 of their stomachs. Thus, eighty-four out of ninety- 

 two Long-eared Owls, seventy-seven out of eighty- 

 seven Short-eared Owls, and seventeen out of nine- 



