CHAPTER XVII. 



x 



THE OWLS. 



FEW birds make a stronger appeal to the imagination than 

 do the owls. Their nocturnal habits, their grotesque appear- 

 ance, their weird and unearthly voices, and their secluded 

 haunts all combine to render them birds of note to the human 

 mind. Our literature is full of allusions to the owl, such 

 allusions, especially in the older writings, being chiefly due to 

 the barn-owl, which in Europe commonly inhabits the belfries 

 and towers of churches and castles. 



With few exceptions the owls are nocturnal birds, though 

 many of them can see very well by daylight. Their eyes are 

 large and of peculiar structure, the ears are remarkably de- 

 veloped, and the plumage is so soft and fluffy that the birds 

 seem much larger than they really are. Many of the species 

 have a wide distribution, being found almost the world over 

 under the guise of slightly varying geographical races. The 

 nest is generally placed in a hole in a tree, the cupola of a 

 building, or some other sheltered situation. The eggs are 

 whitish and vary from two to eight or more, according to 

 the species. 



The owls live wholly upon animal food, which, as a rule, is 

 captured alive. Small animals, especially mice and gophers, 

 birds, frogs, reptiles, and the larger insects form their staple 

 diet, though fish are sometimes caught in the water and eaten. 

 The indigestible portions of the food are regurgitated in the 

 form of small pellets, in which the hair and bones of the 

 victims are all present. On this account it is an easy matter 

 to determine precisely the food of a given species of owl by 

 examining the pellets in the nest or beneath the roosting-site. 

 Large numbers of such pellets have been examined by com- 



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