Familiar Studies of Wild Birds 



the tree. From the twenty-inch cavity below, 

 two young owls, fluffy white balls about 

 twelve days old, gazed back in startled amaze- 

 ment. They had plainly been well fed, for in 

 a circle around them were strewn the remains 

 of five birds, a ground squirrel and part of a 

 rabbit, the birds including a robin, two yellow- 

 bellied sapsuckers, and two flickers. Surely, 

 here was food sufficient at one time, even for 

 hungry young owls. On my numerous visits 

 to the nest during the three following weeks, 

 there was always a surprise in the variety of 

 new prey these ravenous birds had brought 

 home. Song birds, rails, herons, rodents, etc., 

 in variety were found, usually with the heads 

 eaten off. One long-eared owl was also found, 

 a testimony of cannibalistic habits. 



Covered with white down, and their eyes 

 closed, with head, beak and talons much out 

 of proportion to the body, newly hatched owls 

 are grotesque objects. They are fed at short 



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