The Burgess Bird Book for Children 



was dressed in bright reddish-brown, with little 

 streaks and bars of black. Underneath he was 

 whitish, with little streaks and bars of black and 

 brown. On each side of his head was a tuft of 

 feathers. They looked like ears and some people 

 think they are ears, which is a mistake. His eyes 

 were round and yellow with a fierce hungry look in 

 them. His bill was small and almost hidden among 

 the feathers of his face, but it was hooked just like the 

 bill of Hooty. As he settled himself he turned his 

 head around until he could look squarely behind 

 him, then brought it back again so quickly that to 

 Peter it looked as if it had gone clear around. You 

 see Spooky's eyes are fixed in their sockets and he 

 cannot move them from side to side. He has to 

 turn his whole head in order to see to one side or the 

 other. 



"You haven't told me yet why you look so un- 

 happy, Peter, " said Spooky. 



"Isn't an empty stomach enough to make any 

 fellow unhappy?" retorted Peter rather, shortly. 



Spooky chuckled. "I've got an empty stomach 

 myself, Peter," said he, "but it isn't making me 

 unhappy. I have a feeling that somewhere there 

 is a fat Mouse waiting for me. " 



Just then Peter remembered what Jenny Wren 

 had told him early in the spring of how Spooky 

 the Screech Owl lives all the year around in a 

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