39 



Of all the owls, none are so useful, 

 none so abundant and none so sociable 

 as SCREECH OWLS. They live in trees 

 in woods, in our orchards, in barns and 

 even in large cities provided that suit- 

 able trees with cavities are at hand. 

 They are rarely abroad during day- 

 light, passing that time dozing in the 

 concealment of hollow limbs or nooks 

 in barns. At dusk, they come from 

 their hiding places and make the rounds 

 of the neighborhood hunting mice 

 which form almost tneir whole food. 



Their voices are tremulous and wail- 

 ing but not displeasing and certainly a 

 lon^ way from screeching as one might 

 be led to believe, according to the 

 name. Some Screech Owls are gray and 

 some are reddish, the difCerences being 

 merely color phases and independent of 

 age or sex; the gray ones are the most 

 commonly found. 



As usual with owls, their food is 

 swallowed whole and the indigestible 

 portions later ejected as "pellets." 



note is a dismal^ deep-toned "Hoo-hoo-liuu ; again tiio 

 woods may ring with a wild, demoniacal scream entirely 

 different from what you would expect from any bird. 



BARRED OWLS are the largest of the so-called earless 

 owls, that is ones without elongated tufts of feathers on the 

 head. Although quite abundant, they are not seen often 

 unless routed out of their hiding places by crows, for they 

 are quite nocturnal in their habits. They very rarely cap- 

 ture poultry or game birds, confining their diet chiefly to 

 rodents. Nearly all food is devoured entirely and later 

 the indigestible portions, such as bones, feathers or fur, are 

 ejected in the form of pellets. 



Smallest of our Owls, and also an earless species, is the 

 SAW-WHET or ACADIAN OWL. These are chiefly 

 winter visitors, although some of them nest in our moun- 

 tains. They usually spend the day sleeping at low eleva- 

 tions in trees or bushes; if discovered they can usually be 

 caught in the hands. Their staple food is insects and 

 small rodents, but of necessity they sometimes have to 

 catch small birds during the winter. 



LONG-EARED and SHORT-EARED OWLS are two 

 species of a size midway between that of the Screech and 

 Barred Owls. The first has long ear tufts, the plumage 

 has much brown and the under parts are barred ; the second 



