Snooty 



would have shot up into the air at the first 

 270 



startled quack — all but one, which would 



■ff^: have stayed with the owl. 



His favorite time for hunting is the hour 

 after dusk, or just before daylight, when 

 birds are restless on the roost. No bird 

 is safe from him then. The fierce eyes 

 search through every tree and bush and 

 bunch of grass. The keen ears detect 

 every faintest chirp, or rustle, or scratching 

 of tiny claws on the roost. Nothing that 

 can be called a sound escapes them. The 

 broad, soft wings tell no tale of his pres- 

 ence, and his swoop is swift and sure. He 

 utters no sound. Like a good Nimrod, he 

 hunts silently. 



The flight of an owl, noiseless as the 

 sweep of a cloud shadow, is the most 

 remarkable thing about him. The wings 

 are wonderfully adapted to the silent move- 

 ment that is essential to surprising birds at 

 dusk. The feathers are long and soft. The 

 laminae extending from the wing quills, 

 instead of ending in the sharp feather-edge 

 of other birds, are all drawn out to fine hair 



