BIRDS OF THE WEST 133 



BURROWING OWL. 



This smallest of the owls is about the size of the robin but 

 being an owl, he is top-heavy and sits up like a judge. He really 

 takes himself seriously. Whenever I look one of them in the eye, 

 I feel like laughing at his apparent dignity. 



He lives by the chase otherwise his eyes would not be in the 

 front of his head like a hen's. If sheep were in the habit of 

 chasing wolves, their eyes would be in front and wolves would 

 wear their eyes on the side. Man with his eyes in front has ever 

 been on the watch for something to prey upon. That's just as 

 sure as it is that a bird with a hooked beak like our little owl, 

 loves meat. I don't know whether this is also true of man or not. 



An owl cannot make goo-goo eyes for the reason that he can- 

 not turn his eyes sideways. Did you ever try to walk around 

 one? If you noticed it you would recall that he had to turn his 

 whole head around to follow you. Did it not seem to you that 

 his head was on a pivot and could turn around and around and 

 around? Try the next one you see and see if you can't get him 

 to wring his neck off. 



This little owl you will often see where there is a prairie- 

 dog town and there are many people who will tell you that there 

 can be found at the bottom of its hole a happy family of rattle- 

 snakes, prairie-dogs and owls. No doubt the three are at times 

 in the same hole but at such times the prairie-dog is inside the owl 

 and the owl inside the rattlesnake. 



You may be tempted to inquire why this little owl chooses 

 to make its home in the deserted burrow of the prairie-dog but 

 you must remember that he lays many white eggs and hatches 

 out many hungry little owls, so you should not blame him for 

 getting a home with as little labor as possible, and placing it in 

 the heart of the city whose inhabitants when young are such fine 

 food. And how interesting is this little fowl with his brood of 

 owlets sunning themselves at the mouth of their burrow! You 

 may be sure that it keeps the prairie-dogs as busy as guinea pigs 

 to raise enough little pups to feed them. Don't shoot this little 

 bunch of feathers on stilts. He eats rats, mice, gophers, and 

 never anything that you would eat anyway. 



Except as to his diet the owl is always overrated. He is 



