70 OUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBORS 



fancy to them. Father Screech Owl lived in 

 one box not far from the kitchen door, while 

 Mother Screech Owl raised the new family in 

 one nailed to the side of a tree not far away. 



By this time the boys were interested in the 

 owl family also, so that there were numerous 

 visitors to the home of the birds in the box. 

 The days passed quickly and the youngsters 

 were getting crowded in their narrow quarters. 

 Where Mother Screech Owl had been very 

 comfortable with her eggs, four grown chil- 

 dren found very cramped quarters. 



One summer evening, one more venture- 

 some than the rest tried his wings. It was not 

 long after until the last one had left the box 

 and taken to the trees. The Naturalist re- 

 joiced in so many interesting neighbors. He 

 would go out in the early evening and call, 

 "Wher-r-r-r-e are you-u-u-u?" First one and 

 then another of the owls would answer, 

 "Who-o-o-o are you-u-u-u?" Thus it came 

 about that the owls called to the Naturalist 

 and the Naturalist called to them at the close 

 of nearly every day. While the weird call was 

 music to the Naturalist, an occasional visitor 

 who was not familiar with them would shiver 

 at the sound, and one half grown boy was 



