THE OWL FAMILY 181 
gray. The wise men have not yet found any 
reason for this difference. 
The screech owl is badly named, for his song 
is not ascreech. It is a sort of trembling sound, 
and in some places he is called the “ shivering 
owl,”’ which is a much better name for him than 
screech owl. If one does not know who makes 
it, it is rather a weird song in the dark ; but if 
one knows the pretty gray bird, it 1s sweet and 
pleasing. 
The bird comes out before it is quite pitch 
dark. He may often be seen against the sky, 
standing on a branch, bowing and swaying back 
and forth, while he utters strange notes of many 
kinds. He has plenty to say for himself. But 
you must keep as still as a mouse if you want to 
see him. If he can see to catch a mouse in the 
dark, you may be sure he can see you. 
Generally the screech owl makes a nest in a 
hollow tree or a deserted woodpecker nest, and 
comes out only at night. What he likes best to 
eat 1s mice, and mice too come out at night. 
The way he eats is curious, as I told you in 
“The First Book of Birds.”’ 
A few years ago a screech owl went through 
a broken window into the attic of a house in New 
Jersey, and lived there all winter. The family 
were bird-lovers, so they let her stay. She liked 
