152 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



under such conditions, and as it was two miles to the nest 

 the boy decided to make a confident of her, for otherwise 

 it might prove hard to get away to feed his wards. She 

 consented to the care of the birds and suggested that he 

 move the entire family to the old hay barrack, where they 

 might be conveniently fed, trusting that their inherent 

 shyness would lead them to leave the place as soon as they 

 were able to fly, but this proved not to be necessary. When 

 the boy went for his wards he found sitting on a limb near 

 the nest an owl with one foot swollen and crooked, show- 

 ing plainly that it had been injured at no far distant 

 time ; and when he looked in the nest he found the remains 

 of a Plymouth rock chicken that the young birds had not 

 been able entirely to devour. Discreet inquiry revealed the 

 fact that the day before the corn crib door had been left 

 ajar for a few moments and the captive owl had escaped. 

 Loyal soul that he was, he returned to his family too late 

 indeed to find his faithful mate, but in time to save the 

 young from starvation. With the boy's occasional help he 

 fed the family, the members of which were soon able to 

 care for themselves. For some time after the young birds 

 were able to leave the nest they followed the father at 

 night, not only begging for food but learning the ways of 

 the woods and how to catch a living for themselves. Then 

 they scattered never to come together again as a family. 



The great horned owl is also a solitary bird. Even 

 where most abundant, seldom more than one lives within 

 a radius of a mile or more, except in nesting time. In- 

 stinctively, the young scatter miles apart as soon as they 

 are strong and wise enough to care for themselves. 



Unlike many owls, they sail readily and gracefully, 

 rising, falling, and moving forward without the necessity 



