266 BIRD PARADISE 



discovery would have been the occasion of a com- 

 bined hunt, resulting, very likely, in the death 

 of the owl. As it was there was some hunting 

 done, and the little fellow took refuge in the rec- 

 tory barn. The bird found a niche which his 

 pursuers could not find and made good his escape. 

 The boys assured me that they wanted to catch 

 him, show him to me, then give him his freedom 

 again. I approved of the motive and told the 

 boys I would get my eye on the fellow during the 

 winter. What bright little fellows these owls 

 are ! I see them quite often and hear them fre- 

 quently in the night-time. They are not adepts 

 in their musical efforts, and still I rather enjoy 

 the weird notes that they manage to utter. It is 

 curious that the counterpart of our screech-owl 

 should be found only in the Southwest. There 

 they live with the prairie-dogs, and at a little 

 distance appear the same as our Northern bird. I 

 do not think the dogs are fond of the owls' com- 

 pany, though they tolerate it with a very good 

 grace. In the olden time the screech-owl and his 

 first cousin, the barn-owl, were regular guests in 

 the farm buildings. Some of them nested there 

 every season, rendering a full equivalent for their 

 comfortable quarters in catching rats and mice. 

 They do some harm among the chickens when 



