BIRDS AT NIGHT 201 



it is simply a way he has got, and does not 

 mean that he cannot see properly in the day- 

 light. It is true he does not fly away very 

 readily in the day, but that simply means he 

 is afraid of the mobbing he will get from the 

 other birds if he does fly, and when he is on 

 the wing he can steer himself quite easily. 

 Some owls have " horns " or " ears " of 

 feathers sticking up from their heads, and 

 this helps them to look like a broken stump 

 when they are perched upright on a bough 

 with their feathers drawn close and their 

 great eyes nearly shut; and very likely in 

 this way they often escape even the sharp 

 eyes of their enemies the day-birds. It is a 

 real danger for an owl to be driven out in the 

 day, for the hawks hate him as much as the 

 other birds do, though very likely the owl turns 

 the tables on the hawk at night, for the owls 

 are quite as fierce as the hawks are, at the 

 proper time. 



Owls seem to be wiser than hawks in one 

 way at least ; they have a great idea of pro- 

 viding for a rainy day. When hunting is good 

 they will catch as many birds and mice as 

 they can and store them up in their homes, 



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