THE BARN OWL 



note was that his face and breast were snowy white, with the 

 same markings, while his shade of tan seemed a degree lighter. 

 Crouching where we had been standing we watched and waited. 

 Soon with the soft, uncanny flight of an Owl, she swept over us 

 and away into the deep dark forest. 



Investigation proved that the tree contained Owl babies, how 

 many could not be told, but ornithologists allot to this species from 

 three to five. They also place this bird's northern limit on a line 

 with Rhode Island and its habitat in the South and on the coast; 

 yet here was a true Strix pratincola in northern Michigan, almost 

 a full degree above this Owl's northern limit and certainly central. 



It would be the easiest thing in the world to measure the 

 depth of that opening and remove a section from the back of the 

 tree that would allow pictures of the young to be taken, but how 

 was one ever to secure a camera-shot at the old ones? That 

 was our problem. We decided to try to solve it before touching 

 the tree to work on the babies. 



The following evening we were at the tree in time to see 

 the Mother Owl leave it in search of food. The opening was 

 large. We had been as noiseless as possible and concealed our- 

 selves so well that she stood, to accustom her eyes to the light, 

 for a length of time that would have given a fine exposure, had 

 there been a camera on her level. 



Fortunately the opening faced the east. Trees and branches 

 could soon be cut away to get direct light, while there was another 

 tree close, to the trunk of which a camera could be attached di- 

 rectly opposite the entrance. A day of hard work followed. 

 Cleats were sawed and nailed to this tree so that we could walk 

 up and down it like a ladder, and opposite the Owl's door was 

 fastened a small platform on which we placed the camera and fo- 

 cussed it on the opening. It was useless to talk of snap shots 

 in that light, so the shutter was set at half a second on a medium 



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