THE BIRD STUDY BOOK 



in arms and the farmers were appealing for State 

 and Federal aid to help them rid the land of this 

 terrible scourge. In short, the rodents, as a class, 

 are regarded as decidedly detrimental to the inter- 

 ests of mankind. 



The Terror That Flies by Night. — ^Among the chief 

 enemies of rodents in North America are the nine- 

 teen species of Owls, untold numbers of which are 

 abroad every night searching through fields and for- 

 ests for just such creatures as these. The digestive 

 processes of Owls are such that the hard, indigestible 

 portions of their food are disgorged in the form of 

 balls and may often be found beneath their roosting 

 places. One of our most odd-looking birds is the 

 Barn Owl. Being nocturnal in its habits it is rarely 

 seen unless one takes the trouble to climb into un- 

 frequented church towers, the attics of abandoned 

 buildings, or similar places which they seek out for 

 roosting purposes. Some years ago the naturalist. 

 Dr. A. K. Fisher, discovered that a pair of Barn 

 Owls had taken up their abode in one of the towers 

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