46 Birds of Buzzard's Roost 



white and are profusely marked with black shaft lines and nar- 

 row black or brown bars. The wings and tail in both phases 

 are barred. The seasons bring no change in the color of the 

 plumage. It is very soft and fluffy. The ear tufts are erectile 

 and about an inch long. The legs and feet are feathered near- 

 ly to the ends of the toes. The bill is of a brown color and al- 

 most hidden by feathers and bristles. The eyes are very large 

 with an iris of bright yellow. 



The range of this owl extends throughout temperate 

 North America, east of the one hundredth meridian and be- 

 tween parallels thirty-three and forty degrees of north latitude, 

 and they breed wherever they are found. They are known 

 as the mottled owl because of their mottled appearance and the 

 cat owl because of the shape of the head. They are retiring 

 and unobstrusive in their habits, and though abundant, are sel- 

 dom seen during the greater part of the year. Yet it is the 

 commonest of our owls and the one with which we are most 

 familiar. Wilson, the American ornithologist, kept one of them 

 in his room for several weeks, and says : "Those who have 

 seen this bird in the day can form but an imperfect idea of its 

 activity and even sprightliness, in its proper season of exer- 

 cise. Throughout the day it was all stillness and gravity, its 

 eyelids half shut, its neck contracted and its head shrunk 

 seemingly into the body, but scarcely was the sun set and 

 twilight began to approach, when its eyes became full and 

 sparkling, like two living globes of fire ; it crouched on its 

 perch, reconnoitered every object around with looks of eager 

 fierceness ; alighted and fed ; stood on the meat with clenched 

 talons, while it tore it in morsels with its bill ; flew round the 

 room with the silence of thought, and perching moaned out its 

 melancholy notes, with many lively gesticulations, not at all 

 accordant with the pitiful tone of its ditty, which reminded one 

 of the shivering meanings of a half-frozen puppy." 



Mating of these owls begins in the early part of March 

 and it is thought that they mate for life. It is said that it is 

 interesting to watch the love-making of a pair of owls on a 

 moonlight night, as they sit together on the coping of an out- 

 building or the horizontal limb of some giant of the forest. 

 The lady owl looks the picture of demure coyness, as if a little 



