480 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



Fholih Dr. R. K'. ShufcU:'\ 



SCREECH-OWL 



^ common North American bird^ Jccding on small animah of all 

 kinds 



the former group being little bigger than a 

 lark. Thus they stand in strong contrast 

 with the giant snowy and eagle-owls. 



Fi nail)-, we havethe White or Barn-owl, 

 which with its allies forms a group distin- 

 guished from all the other owls by certain 

 well-marked structural characters. The barn- 

 owl is also to be found in Great l^ritain, but 

 is growing, like all the other owls in that 

 area, mi;)re and more rare e\'cr)' \'ear, owing 

 to persecution at the hands of gamekeepers. 

 It is a liandsome bird, of a pale buff-)'ellow, 

 mrittled with grey afjox'e to pure white 

 beneath, and with the characteristic facial 

 disk peculiarly well developed. It breeds in 

 holes in trees, ruins, and church towers, and 

 feeds almost entirel}' on mice and rats. 

 From the piercing note which it (_)Ccasionally 

 utters, it is also known as the ScRLECH-cnVL. 



America they appear to quarter themselves 

 upon the prairie-dogs, ground-squirrels, and 

 badgers ; and inthe pampasofSouth America 

 upon the Patagonian cavy, the viscacha and 

 armadillos, and occasionally lizards. It seems 

 to be no unusual thing to find, in addition 

 to the bird and mammal tenants of a single 

 burrow, one or more full-grown examples 

 of the much dreaded rattle-snake — a truly 

 wonderful happy-family, if all accounts are to 

 be believed. But many competent to speak 

 on the matter throw out dark hints which 

 would appear to show that the owl quarters 

 itself on the tenants of a burrow too weak to 

 resist its intrusion upon their domicile, and 

 that occasionally this most masterful bird 

 renders itself still more objectionable b}- de- 

 vouring the progeny of its hosts, and some- 

 times e\'en the hosts themselves. 



The species known as Pygmy Owls 

 and Little Owls we mention here onl\- on 

 account of their small size, one member of 



[Unda 



BARN-OWL 



This is a British oivl^ ffinoing a I'rcfi-rcnor for ohurch-toivcrs in ■zcliich 

 to roost tind hrced 



