GREAT HORNED OWLS 
331 
drifts remained, and the sprinkle of snow which had fallen 
the night before was fast disappearing. A neighbor’s boy 
went with me to the nest; the owl was on it. I had feared 
for her safety, as a man 
had been chopping not far 
away, and I was afraid that 
he would discover her. This 
was one case to show that 
the faculty of observation 
is not always desirable! 
First, now, I wanted a flight 
picture. So I aimed the re¬ 
flex camera at the nest and 
had the boy kick the tree. 
Oft went the owl, northward, 
as she always did. She was 
\'ery quick and I too slow, 
for I got onlv part of her 
image on the plate! 
As before, I set the camera up in the tree ; then I dismissed 
the boy, and hid in my bower, keeping tally on a sheet of 
paper of all the sights and sounds of nature. This time there 
was constantly “ something doing,” and for three hours I was 
busy. Both owls were hooting and flying about, the crows 
were excited. Flickers and Hairv Woodpeckers were drum¬ 
ming, drilling their nests, and making love, and there were 
other happenings. My vigil began four minutes before noon. 
In thirteen minutes the male owl began his tuneful songs 
from the same place as before. It took the female fortv-six 
minutes to begin her usual whines, or ” waupps.” This 
ushered in her usual performance of “ monkeying,” until 
at the end of an hour and twelve minutes she suddenlv — 
before I realized it — had alighted on her nest, and I scored 
