CHAPTER XXI 



THE ORDER OF BIRDS OF PREY 



RAPT ORES 



To every farmer and poultry-raiser, the birds of this Order are divided nto two groups, friends 

 and enemies. Inasmuch as feathered friends are to be encouraged, and all enemies slain, the standing 

 of each species becomes a life-or-death matter. America is a wide and populous country, and despite 

 the labors of the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture, there are yet millions of 

 persons who desire precise information regarding our hawks and owls. Because of the economic 

 importance of the subject, we will devote a liberal amount of space and effort to the important mem- 

 bers of this group. The Families of the Order are as follows : 



FAMILIES. 



EXAMPLES. 



BahN-OwlS, . STRI-GI'DAE, 



Barn, or Monkey-Faced Owls. 



Horned, Burrowing, Snowy and Screech-Owls. 



ORDER ) Horned Owls, bu-bon'I-dae, 



RAPTORES. , 



Hawks, . . . fal-con'i-dae, . Hawks, Kites, Buzzards and Eagles, 



VULTUEES, 



CA-THAR'TI-DAE, California, Turkey and Black Vultures. 



THE BARN-OWL FAMILY. 



Strigidae. 



It is now a well-established fact that "owls 

 are among the most beneficial of all birds," in- 

 flicting ; little damage upon the producers of 

 poultry, and conferring vast benefits upon the 

 farmer by the destruction of mammal and insect 

 pests. Inasmuch as their regular working hours 

 are from sunset to sunrise, they wage success- 

 ful war on the nocturnal mammals which remain 

 quiet during the daytime in order to escape 

 hawks and other daylight enemies. 



Owls are exceedingly interesting birds, and 

 in them there is also much to admire. They 

 take life seriously; they have but few nerves, 

 and seldom use them. Rarely do they become 

 really tame or affectionate, but easily become 

 very indignant at real or fancied affronts. Like 

 many people of few words and solemn manner, 

 they are not nearly so wise as they look. They 

 are easily caught in steel traps, or shot ; and they 

 are much given to nesting in situations that are 

 wide open to attack. 



JDmitting the subspecies, — which are only geo- 

 graphic races, — there are eighteen species of 

 owls in North America, north of Mexico. They 

 vary in size from the tiny elf-owl, of Arizona, 

 only 6 inches in total length, to the great gray 

 owl, of the arctic regions, 30 inches long. 



With the exception of the great horned owl, 

 the owls of our country are by no means so de- 

 structive to poultry and wild bird life as is gen- 

 erally supposed. The great majority of the 

 species feed upon wild mice, rats, squirrels, 

 shrews, fish, crustaceans and insects; and some 

 of them render great service to man. Nearly 

 all owls are night-flyers, and by reason of their 

 soft, fluffy plumage, which renders their flight 

 quite noiseless, they are specially fitted to keep 

 in check the grand army of destructive rodents 

 that roam abroad under cover of darkness. 



Owls do very well in captivity, provided they 

 are properly housed and fed, and have com- 

 fortable perches to sit upon. Naturally, they 

 are most active at night, and quiet in the day- 

 time. Be it known, however, that they cannot 

 live long on a steady diet of beefsteak. Every 



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