308 The Screech Owl 



moonlight, leaving behind him dainty footprints in 

 the snow. 



Since the screech owl is of such great economic 

 value, its presence in the agricultural districts should 

 be encouraged. It is not, like many other birds, 

 beneficial in one part of its range and harmful in 

 another; but in doing so much good the screech owl 

 sometimes does a little harm, for it occasionally kills 

 small birds, and has been known to attack a ruffed 

 grouse or hen, though no serious harm came to either. 

 However, this bird catching propensity of the owl is 

 very much in its favor at present, for it has developed 

 a liking for the English sparrow, and is frequently to 

 be seen about ivy covered buildings and other favorite 

 roosting places of the sparrows. This good report of 

 the screech owl seems to be common in other states 

 besides New Jersey and New York. From Mount 

 Perry, Ohio, Mr. R. S. Russell writes as follows: 



"Last summer the English sparrows were so thick 

 around my house as almost to set me wild, when a 

 little screech owl got to visiting us every night and at 

 each visit he carried off a sparrow. My house is 

 thickly covered with vines, and the little owl would 

 make a dash into the vines and capture his sparrow 

 every time. By fall they were well thinned out." 



The screech owl breeds throughout its range, gen- 



