228 Birds Every Child Should Know 



body, about a foot and a half long, that comes 

 out of its hole at evening with a wild scream, 

 startling timid and superstitious people into the 

 belief that it is uncanny. The American coun- 

 terpart of "wise Minerva's only fowl," its large 

 eye-discs and solemn blink certainly make it 

 look like a fit companion for the goddess of 

 wisdom. 



A tame bam owl, owned by a gentleman in 

 Philadelphia, would sit on his shoulder for hours 

 at a time. It felt offended if its master would 

 not play with it. The only way the man 

 could gain time for himself during the bird's 

 waking hours, was to feed it well and leave a 

 stuffed bird for it to play with when he went 

 out of the room, just as Jimmy Brown left a 

 doll with his baby sister when he went out to 

 play; only the man could not tack the owl's 

 petticoats to the floor. 



A pair of barn owls lived for many years in the 

 tower of the Smithsonian Institution, Wash- 

 ington. Dr. Fisher found the skulls of four 

 hundred and fifty-four small mammals in the 

 pellets cast about their home. Another pair 

 lived in a tower and on the best of terms with 

 some tame pigeons. Happily the owls had no 

 taste for squab, but the debris of several 

 thousand mice and rats about their curious 

 dwelling proved that their appetite needet^ no 

 coaxing with such a delicacy. 



