ANIS. ROAD-RUNNERS, CUCKOOS 



naturally in hollow trees but is also found 

 occupying barn lofts, belfrys, towers and 

 caves. Three to nine eggs are laid, at vary- 

 ing intervals, so that a brood of young when 

 hatched out will show a great variation in size 

 according to age, as much as a week or ten days 

 intervening between the eldest and youngest. 

 The barn owl is the most important 

 economically to the farmer of any of the 

 family. Its food consists of rats, mice, 

 gophers, ground squirrels and insects of all 

 kinds, and rarely a rabbit or bird. The 

 amount of vermin it will dispose of in a 

 season is out of all proportion to its size and 

 in common with most of the family it should 

 be protected by the farmer for the good it 

 does. A pair of barn owls about the farm- 

 stead are worth a dozen cats. They spend the 

 night silently flitting about the farm buildings 

 or over the fields picking up great numbers of 

 the little rodents so destructive to farm crops 

 and asking no pay but a chance to live. 



FAMILY CUCULID.E: ANIS, ROAD- 

 RUNNERS, CUCKOOS 



j.^ Road-runner, Geococcy calif ornianus. 



^ ^ 22.00 



Distribution: From Brownsville, Texas, 



to San Diego, California, and from Central 



'' ICl 



