SOME LITTLE OWLS 103 



The parents of the first little chap, mentioned 

 above, seemed not at all concerned over my in- 

 trusion and did not put in an appearance at all, 

 but it was not so with the old folks at another 

 nest visited. Here the mother remained in the 

 nest an old crow's, as usual, in a small poplar 

 till I shook the tree. When I climbed up to it 

 and looked upon the five newly-hatched young, 

 the owners raised a great commotion. They 

 threw themselves on the ground and hurtled 

 around with broken wings; they fluttered 

 through the shrubbery and cried distressfully 

 and angrily ; and created such a general rumpus 

 that all the crows in the neighborhood were at- 

 tracted to the spot, to circle overhead and jeer 

 and scold. 



I had determined to get some pictures of this 

 family, but they outgrew my plans, and when I 

 returned at what I thought was the proper 

 time, there was but one youngster left in the 

 nest. As the bluff was small and cut off by 

 prairie and wheat-field from other woods, I 

 decided to find the rest of the family. But 

 though I searched for hours and literally combed 

 the place, I could find not a trace of either 

 parent or young. Most birds distribute the 



