HAWKS AND OWLS 231 



so the)' have to turn the head when changing 

 the direction of sight. 



Chvls, too, are very well equipped for hunting. 

 Although they cannot dart upon their victims 

 as swiftly as the Hawks, the soft and fluffy 

 feathers render their flight quite noiseless, and 

 they require less speed as their prey is usually 

 asleep. The strong talons are excellent hooks for 

 holding their victims, which, unless too large, 

 are swallowed whole. The food of the various 

 species is much the same, consisting of small 

 mammals, mice, shrews, squirrels, rabbits and 

 sometimes birds. Only rarely do the larger 

 Owls visit the farmyard, so that poultry plays 

 a small part in their menu. They are more ben- 

 eficial to the farmer than are the Hawks, and, 

 consequently, there is even less reason for their 

 destruction. They are, for the most part, dwel- 

 lers of the deep woods, where the browns and 

 grays of their plumage aid them in concealment. 

 The eggs of all varieties are white. Of the nearly 

 two hundred species known throughout the 

 world about twenty are found in the United 

 States, and eight or nine are common in the 

 Eastern States. 



Screech Owl. This small Owl, the most com- 

 mon of the family, is well known from the weird, 

 unearthly cry which startles not a little one who 

 is unfamiliar with it. During July and August, 

 after the young are reared, their cry is often 

 heard in the open country, for they frequently 

 build their nests in outbuildings of the farm, or 

 in a hollow tree in the orchard. Often in the 

 daytime one will see this Owl sitting on some 



