44 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



abandoned, and a bounty has long ago been set 

 upon their lives. Indeed they have become so bold 

 as to attack horses and other large domestic ani- 

 mals. 



Ely-catchers have a most novel and interesting 

 way of patrolling their territory: concealing them- 

 selves among the branches of trees, they patiently 

 await the appearance of flies, bees, butterflies, and 

 other insects, and greedily pounce upon them. 

 Again and again they return to the same stand and 

 wait for their prey. 



Swallows and swifts sail high in the air, and fol- 

 low a system of intricate curvings and divings in 

 search of insects which fly above the tree-tops. 

 Humming-birds sometimes hunt in pairs, and one 

 enters a large cup-shaped flower to catch the in- 

 sects within, while the other bars the door! 



In many places in the South hundreds of bats 

 appear at twilight, dashing here and there to catch 

 insects. At times, in their anxiety to catch mosqui- 

 toes, they actually fly into the face of an observer. 

 These night-watchmen are invaluable in their ser- 

 vice to mankind through their destruction of 

 myriads of noxious insects. 



Perhaps the most important nocturnal police- 

 men are owls. They are many in number and va- 

 riety of species, but the eagle owl is the paradox of 



