THE BIRD OF NIGHT 



round face looking out over the edge of the nest. One 

 must get to know the region and explore it thoroughly, 

 not overlooking a single old weather-beaten crow's 

 nest, for that may prove to be just the one chosen by 

 the owl. As in searching for hawks' nests, the very 

 best sign of a nest being occupied is to see bits of downy 

 feathers clinging to its edge. The hawk's down is 

 white, that of owls gray or yellowish. If you can see 

 the down, climb, or get someone else to do it for you 

 if you cannot, for the nest is probably occupied, or 

 about to be, unless, possibly, an owl has merely eaten 

 a grouse up there. 



In my book "Wild Wings" I have detailed so many 

 finds of Great Horned and Barred Owls' nests that I 

 must not go into this here, but I will tell about a very 

 remarkable owl's nest which was recently found by a 

 friend, and which I went with him to see. 



Not far from Providence, Rhode Island, across the 

 line of Massachusetts, is a little patch of woods, hemmed 

 in on all sides by roads, houses, and a trolley line. 

 Strangely enough, a pair of Barred Owls stayed there, 

 and often during the winter and early spring were seen 

 from the cars in the early morning perched by the road- 

 side. A friend of mine lived near by, and on the first 

 of April he saw one of the owls sitting on a large new 

 nest twenty feet up a small maple, and flushed her by 

 rapping the tree. In fact he had seen her on or about 

 the nest several times before this. It happened that 

 I was in Providence giving a bird lecture, and the result 



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