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materials. On one thing most observers agree, namely, that

these burrows invariably swarm with fleas.” The number of

eggs laid to a clutch is said to vary from six to eleven.


This Owl is far more diurnal in its habits than most of its

congeners, and never seems to be dazed by bright sun light. It,

however, becomes much more active towards dusk, and feeds

principally between sunset and sunrise. Their actions are most

quaint ; if approached they generally bob up and down, then

spread out their wings and clap their mandibles together with a

•curious sound. “ If closely approached,” Mr. Hudson writes,

“ it drops its body or bobs in a curious fashion, emitting a brief

scream, followed by three abrupt ejaculations ; and if made to fly

goes only fifteen or twenty yards away, and lights again with face

towards the intruder ; and no sooner does it alight than it repeats

the odd gesture and scream, standing stiff and erect, and

appearing beyond measure astonished at the intrusion.” My own

birds never screamed when approached, but if they saw a dog in

the distance they immediately commenced to emit the scream,

followed by the three abrupt ejaculations, described by Mr.

Hudson.


The food of the Burrowing Owl consists of any living

creatures that it is capable of killing, from prairie dogs to

beetles. In North America young marmots, ground squirrels of

several species, chipmunks, gophors, mice, rats, frogs, lizards,

snakes, and insects of almost all kinds, are devoured; and

Captain Bendire believes that these birds will eat more than

their own weight in twenty-four hours. Mr. Hudson tells us that

“ occasionally they are seen preying by day, especially when

anything passes near them, offering the chance of an easy

capture.” “ I have often,” he writes, “ amused myself by

throwing bits of hard clay near one as it sat beside its kennel;

for the bird will immediately give chase, only discovering its

mistake when the object is firmly clutched in its talons. When

there are young to be fed, they are almost as active by day as by

night. On hot November days multitudes of a large species of

Scarabceus appear, and the bulky bodies and noisy bungling

flights of these beetles invite the Owls to pursuit, and on every

side they are seen pursuing and striking down the beetles, and

tumbling upon them in the grass.”


In captivity these little Owls are very easily kept. They

should have a good sized aviary, and an artificial burrow should

be constructed for them. A good way to do this is to place an

inverted wooden box, with a large hole cut in one side, in a



