86 A BIRD CALENDAR 



It uplifts its voice about two hours before 

 sunset and continues calling intermittently 

 until some time after sunrise. Trie note is 

 often uttered while the bird is on the wing. 



Scarcely less vociferous than the cuckoos are 

 the owls. Needless to state that the tiny 

 spotted owlets make a great noise in May. 

 They are loquacious throughout the year, 

 especially on moonlight nights. Nor do they 

 wait for the setting of the sun until they 

 commence to pour forth what Eha terms a 

 " torrent of squeak and chatter and gibberish." 



Almost as abundant as the spotted owlet 

 is the jungle owlet (Glaucidium radiatum). 

 This species, like the last-mentioned, does not 

 confine its vocal efforts to the hot weather. 

 It is vociferous throughout the year ; however, 

 special mention must be made of it in connec- 

 tion with the month of May, because it is not 

 until a human being sleeps out of doors that 

 he takes much notice of the bird. 



The note of this owl is very striking. It 

 may be likened to the noise made by a motor 

 cycle when it is being started. It consists of 

 a series of dissyllables, low at first with a pause 

 after each, but gradually growing in intensity 

 and succeeding one another at shorter intervals, 



