308 The Screech Owl 
moonlight, leaving behind him dainty footprints in 
the snow. . 
Since the screech owl is of such great economic 
value, its presence in the agricultural districts should 
be encouraged. It is not, like many other birds, 
beneficial in one part of its range and harmful in 
another; but in doing so much good the screech owl 
sometimes does a little harm, for it occasionally kills 
small birds, and has been known to attack a ruffed 
grouse or hen, though no serious harm came to either. 
However, this bird catching propensity of the owl ‘s 
very much in its favor at present, for it has developed 
a liking for the English sparrow, and is frequently to 
be seen about ivy covered buildings and other favorite 
roosting places of the sparrows. This good report of 
the screech owl seems to be common in other states 
besides New Jersey and New York. From Mount 
Perry, Ohio, Mr. R.S. Russell writes as follows: 
“Last summer the English sparrows were so thick 
around my house as almost to set me wild, when a 
little screech owl got to visiting us every night and at 
each visit he carried off a sparrow. My house is 
thickly covered with vines, and the little owl would 
make a dash into the vines and capture his sparrow 
every time. By fall they were well thinned out.” 
The screech owl breeds throughout its range, gen- 
