44 BIRDS OF PREY 



almost as broad as it is high; and its head is surmounted at 

 its front corners by very respectable ears. In its gray phase, 

 this bird looks very much like a dwarf great horned owl; but 

 of course the black markings are not the same. 



This Owl exhibits a peculiarity in color which must be 

 specially noted. It has two distinct and widely different 

 colors, red and gray. In the same locality will be found owls 

 that are of a cold, black-and-white gray color, and others that 

 are pale rusty-red, with white mottlings on the abdomen. 

 For this very odd development, we are quite unable to ac- 

 count; and such lawless color variations are called "phases," 

 possibly because they phase the naturalists who try to study 

 out their whys and wherefores. 



In its food habits, the Screech Owl prefers, if it can pro- 

 cure them, mice, grasshoppers, locusts, cut-worms, beetles, 

 caterpillars, crickets, spiders, lizards, frogs and crawfish. If 

 these are lacking, it attacks the English sparrow and almost 

 any other small bird that comes handy, usually other spar- 

 rows. To show that when very hungry all birds look alike 

 to him, he occasionally kills and eats a bird of his own species ! 

 Dr. A. K. Fisher's report on the "Hawks and Owls of the 

 United States" sets forth in full detail the results of the ex- 

 amination of 255 stomachs of Screech Owls, of which the 

 following is a summary of contents: 100 contained insects; 

 91, mice; 12, English sparrows; 26, other birds; 11, miscel- 

 laneous mammals; 9, crawfish; 7, miscellaneous food; 5, 

 spiders; 5, frogs; 2, lizards; 2, scorpions; 2, earth-worms; 1, 

 poultry; 1, fish; and 43 were empty. The following is a full 

 list of the birds found: 12 English sparrows, 9 other sparrows, 



