336 LAND-BIRDS AND GAME-BIRDS 



dazed b}^ the light, and sometimes, when perched on a fence in 

 the sunlight, as occasionallj'^ happens, they may easily be ap- 

 proached and even captured. At dusk they become active, 

 often uttering their cries, which ma}'^ be heard at all hours of 

 the night until early morning, though never, so far as I linow, 

 in the day. They search the woods, fields, meadows, and often 

 the neighborhood of houses and barns, now gliding like a 

 shadow near the ground, or among the trees, and now perching 

 to call to their mates or companions. They feed upon mice, 

 various insects (many of which the}^ catch upon the wing), 

 and occasionally small birds. They are probably beneficial to 

 the farmer, like some other owls, who differ in this respect from 

 the hawks. Our night-owls, though aided by ver^' keen sight, 

 and by a flight so silent that their presence is often indicated 

 only 1)3^ tlieir shadow, undoubtedly find it more difficult to 

 obtain birds at roost than other creatures who betray them- 

 selves b}' moving. The Screech Owls as pets exhibit many of 

 those traits, more or less characteristic of their whole family, 

 which are less easily observed in the birds at liberty. I shall 

 therefore quote from the "American Naturalist" an extremely 

 interesting article b}' Mr. Maynard, on " The Mottled Owl in 

 Confinement," from which, however, I am reluctantly obliged 

 to omit several passages. He says : " On June 15, 1867, I ob- 

 served some boys around a small owl Avhich was perched on a 

 stick. On closer examination I found that it was a 3'oung 

 Mottled Owl {Scops asio Bonaparte). It was staring about in 

 a dazed manner and seemed half stupefied. I easily persuaded 

 the boys to part with it for a trifle, and took it home. I should 

 judge that it was about two weeks old.^ It was covered with 

 a grayish down. I put it in a large cage, and gave it some 

 meat which it ate, but not readily, for it seemed frightened at 

 the sight of my hand, and at my near approach would draw 

 back, snapping its beak after the manner of all owls. It soon 

 grew tamer, however, and would regard me with a wise stare, 

 as if perfectly understanding that I was a friend. 



>Tlii8 fact renders it iirobable that this species sometimes rears a second brood. 



