168 GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS 
it would be difficult to point out a more useful birdthan 
this Owl, and it deserves the fullest protection; but, as is 
too often the case, man, who should be its best friend, is 
generally the worst enemy it has to contend with, and it is 
ruthlessly destroyed by him, partly on account of its odd 
appearance and finely coloured plumage, but oftener 
from the erroneous belief that it destroys the farmer’s 
poultry.’ 
“In the West, the food of the Barn Owl consists very 
largely of pouched gophers, a specially destructive mam- 
mal, also ground-squirrels, rabbits, and insects. In 
the southern states large numbers of cotton rats are 
destroyed, a fact which should be appreciated by every 
planter. 
““So you see, children, that those farmers who live within 
the range of the Barn Owl can not only safely let it nest 
under their roofs, but give the barn mice into its keeping, 
for it will do more good and less harm than the usual 
prowling cat. 
“The Short-eared Owl is unlike his brethren in that 
his nest, lined with a few feathers or grass, is in a hollow 
in the ground or in a bunch of tall weeds or grasses. He 
is also what is called a cosmopolitan Owl, which means 
that he is equally at home in all parts of the country, 
and, during the migrations and in the winter, these Owls 
sometimes live in flocks of one hundred or more, which, 
considering the usual solitary habits of Owls, is something 
to remember particularly. 
“As its nest is in moist, grassy meadows, so also does it 
spend much of its time in the open, shunning the deep 
woods beloved of other Owls, while it flies freely by day, 
