THE LONG-EARED OWL. 



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(+) HE name of the Long-Eared 

 J Owl is derived from the great 



length of his "ears" or feather- 

 - tufts, which are placed upon 

 the head, and erect themselves when- 

 ever the bird is interested or excited. 

 It is the " black sheep " of the owl 

 family, the majority of owls being 

 genuine friends of the agriculturist, 

 catching for his larder so many of 

 the small animals that prey upon 

 his crops. In America he is called 

 the Great Horned Owl — in Europe 

 the Golden Owl. 



Nesting time with the owl begins 

 in February, and continues through 

 March and April. The clown-like 

 antics of both sexes of this bird while 

 under the tender influence of the 

 nesting season tend somewhat to im- 

 pair their reputation for dignity and 

 wise demeanor. They usually have a 

 simple nest in a hollow tree, but 

 which seems seldom to be built by the 

 bird itself, as it prefers to take the 

 deserted nest of some other bird, and 

 to fit up the premises for its own use. 

 They repair slightly from year to year 

 the same nest. The eggs are white, 

 and generally four or five in number. 

 While the young are still in the nest, 

 the parent birds display a singular 

 diligence in collecting food for them. 



If you should happen to know of an 

 owl's nest, stand near it some evening 

 when the old birds are rearing their 

 young. Keep quiet and motionless, 

 and notice how frequently the old 

 birds feed them. Every ten minutes 

 or so the soft flap, flap of their wings 

 will be heard, the male and female 

 alternately, and you will obtain a brief 

 glimpse of them through the gloom as 

 they enter the nesting place. They 

 remain inside but a short time, sharing 

 the food equally amongst their brood, 

 and then are off again to hunt for 



more. All night, were you to have 

 the inclination to observe them, you 

 would find they pass to and fro with 

 food, only ceasing their labors at dawn. 

 The young, as soon as they reach 

 maturity, are abandoned by their 

 parents ; they quit the nest and seek 

 out haunts elsewhere, while the old 

 birds rear another, and not infrequently 

 two more broods, during the remainder 

 of the season. 



The habits of the Long-Eared Owl 

 are nocturnal. He is seldom seen 

 in the light of day, and is greatly dis- 

 turbed if he chance to issue from 

 his concealment while the sun is 

 above the horizon. The facial disk is 

 very conspicuous in this species. It is 

 said that the use of this circle is to 

 collect the rays of light, and throw 

 them upon the eye. The flight of the 

 owl is softened by means of especially 

 shaped, recurved feather-tips, so that 

 he may noiselessly steal upon his 

 prey, and the ear is also so shaped as 

 to gather sounds from below. 



The Long - Eared Owl is hardly 

 tamable. The writer of this para- 

 graph, when a boy, was the possessor, 

 for more than a year, of a very fine 

 specimen. We called him Judge. He 

 was a monster, and of perfect plumage. 

 Although he seemed to have some 

 attachment to the children of the 

 family who fed him, he would not 

 permit himself to be handled by them 

 or by any one in the slightest. Most 

 of his time he spent in his cage, an 

 immense affair, in which he was very 

 comfortable. Occasionally he had 

 a day in the barn with the rats and 

 mice. 



The owl is of great usefulness to 

 gardener, agriculturist, and landowner 

 alike, for there is not another bird of 

 prey which is so great a destroyer of 

 the enemies of vegetation. 



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