"'ul 



NOV 10 1948 



ORNITHOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



fade, the plant may be thrown away and a new 

 one brought home. 



Although the flowers are the most conspicuous 

 part of this plant, nearly all its names have been 

 derived from the leaves. The scientific name 

 means "resembling the liver" and refers to the 

 shape of the leaves. The common names, liver- 

 wort and liverleaf, are obviously derived from 

 the same source. These names point to the 

 time when the doctrine of Signatures was gener- 

 ally accepted, when this plant was doubtless 

 used as a specific for diseases of the liver. In 

 New England ■ the hepaticas are often called 

 squirrel-cups — a name worthy of a wider circu 

 lation. 



THE BARRED OWL. 



BY DR. W. S. STRODE, BERNADOTTE, ILL. 



This bird is quite common in the heavily 

 wooded districts throughout Illinois. As it has 

 a preference for heavily timbered tracts along 

 water-courses it is often called the "River Owl." 



The naturalist who has never listened to a 

 nocturnal concert given by two or three of these 

 owls, has indeed missed a rare treat. To the 

 uninitiated it m ay be somewhat startling when 

 the perfect quiet and stillness of a night in the 

 deep forest is suddenly interrupted by a blood 

 curdling shriek followed by, " who- who, who, 

 who-who, who, who, ar-r-r-r-r you ?" and then 

 "he-he-he-he, hi-hi-hi-hi, ha-ha-ha-ha," as though 

 all the panthers, wild cats, maniacs and hob- 

 goblins for forty miles around had suddenly 

 surrounded the camp and were holding high car- 

 nival. But just VI hen each individual hair has 

 assumed the upright position the hubbub ceases 

 as suddenly as it commenced and quiet and 

 solitude again reigns supreme. 



Some years ago, accompanied by a friend, I 

 was out for a week's recreation on the " Califor- 

 nia bend" of the llhnois river. During the 

 day-time we gathered hickory-nuts and pecans, 

 hunted bee trees, and shot ducks and squirrels, 

 and at night went " coon" hunting. 



One night we had made arrangements to hunt 

 with some friends that reside in the vicinity. 

 As they did not appear as soon as we expected 

 them to, we turned in and were soon fast asleep. 

 Suddenly the well known coon hunters " whoop" 



brought us to our feet, and we listened for its 

 repetition. Again it came, " whoop-e-e," clear 

 as a bell and right over our heads, followed in 

 a few seconds by the maniacal " who-who- who, 

 who- who- who are you ? and a whole chorus of 

 " he-he-he-he, hi-hi-hi-hi, ha-ha-ha-ha." Com- 

 pletely sold, we again crawled into our tents, 

 feeling very much as if we had been made the 

 butt of a practical joke. 



For several years a barred owl has made his 

 home in an immense sycamore standing on the 

 bank of Spoon river a few miles below the 

 village. ^ 



In my professional rounds I frequently pass 

 near this tree, and often ride out to say " how 

 do you do ?" to Mr. Syrnium as he sits bolt up- 

 right in the entrance to the cavity in the tree. 

 At other times I imitate his notes and nearly 

 always get a response. Sometimes, during the 

 breeding season, the owl comes flying toward 

 me uttering his peculiar cry, as he flies. Indeed, 

 I fancy that he has come to recognize me, and 

 to resent my intrusion, for his notes have taken 

 on an angry, spiteful intonation. 



Several times I have taken the first set of eggs 

 laid by the female, and one season I captured a 

 half-grown young Syrnium that had flown from 

 the sycamore and perched near the ground in 

 a smaller tree. This owl I put into an out- 

 house with a young great-horned owl where 

 they remained for eighteen months. Some of 

 the curious and amusing things which they did 

 I will relate in the next number of the Ornith- 

 ologist AND Botanist. 



BIRD-SONGS. 



BY STEWART E. WHITE, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 



A bird's song is the most beautiful music in 

 the world. How many times has that state- 

 ment been made ? How many times has some 

 person, rich in this world's goods, heard, and 

 wishing to believe, has caused the feathered 

 denizens of the grove to be caged for his benefit. 

 Then comes dissapointment, for never can these 

 gems shine in their true colors without their nat- 

 ural setting of fresh, green w oods and fields of 

 waving grass. 



There is no study more pleasing for an ornith- 



