THE BARN OWL 



Owl's door after she left at night, and keep her out until the 

 light was sufficiently strong to take her picture in the morning? 

 She was feeding her young, and they would be very hungry, 

 but not particularly hurt by a slightly longer fast than usual, while 

 no doubt they would cry for food and keep her close. When she 

 found she could not reach them she would remain near and then, 

 if they would cry, there was every probability that she would fly 

 to them, even in a fairly strong light. 



That day my lenses were polished like diamonds, a fresh me- 

 dium plate placed in the camera, the shutter set at a bulb exposure 

 and everything tested to see that it worked smoothly. When 

 Mother Owl left that night, we discussed giving her until midnight 

 to bring several rounds of food to the babies, but dared not risk it. 

 If the Owlets were not very hungry they would not cry, and if they 

 did not, it was almost sure their mother would not try to fly by day. 



A board was nailed securely over the opening. Mother Owl 

 returned and attacked it beak and claw. Soon her mate came, 

 and how the two of them worked! It was almost too bad. I 

 fancied I could see Mother Owl shaking her head when she really 

 had some reason to shake it. My heart failed me. This was 

 not living up to my pact. It was not treating that mother as I 

 would be treated. I whispered to the guide to go and take away 

 the board. It is a good thing that he was made of a little sterner 

 stuff, for he pointed out that the young were half grown, that there 

 was nothing happening to injure them permanently, that they were 

 birds of prey, and that if they did not want their pictures taken 

 they had no business to carry around such faces to tempt us. 



At times they would leave. Then they would return, some- 

 times together, sometimes singly, and work to pull the board 

 away. The night was clear, cool and filled with sounds. The 

 guide repeatedly assured me that there were no snakes, while I 

 had seen none. Often we heard the crashing of deer, or at times 



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