240 CHAPTERS OX THE NATURAL HISTORY 



ther-horns, and in habit the species is a diurnal one. Much in its 

 history, so far as at present known, is extremely interesting, and 

 for what we have of it we are chiefly indebted to our northern 

 explorers. Sometimes they build a nest of their own or they may 

 simply deposit their eggs, from six to seven in number, in the 

 hollow stump of a tree, without making any nest whatever. 

 They are fearless in the defense of their young or eggs, and will 

 attack a man without hesitation if molestation on his part be 

 attempted. The bird is easily captured, even in some rare cases 

 by the hand alone. In the Yukon district, Turner approached 

 within six feet of one sitting on a post, and only induced 

 it to fly after loud shouting and throwing a stick at it; 

 while Dall, when engaged in taking a set of its eggs in 

 Alaska, had his cap knocked off his head by the bird making a 

 tierce dash at him. Hawk owls prey upon small mammals, 

 rarely birds, and insects. Science stands in need of a fuller his- 

 tory of this species. 



Apart from those thus far referred to, all the remaining species 

 and subspecies of owls in this country are comparatively small 

 forms, and more or less numerous in kind. Some of them are the 

 veriest pigmies of the family with histories that even the most 

 indifferent student of bird-life among us must read with pleas- 

 ure and entertainment. 



Saw-whet Owls are rather small of size, ranging from seven 

 and a quarter inches in length to twelve, being without feather- 

 horns, brown in color above, more or less white-spotted, and 

 white on the under parts, where they are striped with brown. 

 In the northern part of the country we meet with, in the winter- 

 time, Richardson's Owl (Ki/ctola tengmalmi richardsoni) , but the 

 best known species of the genus with us, is the common Saw- 

 whet Owl (N. aoadica), which inhabits North America at large, 

 and in the western mountain ranges passes south into Mexico. 



The bird gains its name from its note, which resembles the 

 tiling of a saw, and this is not difficult to imitate and thus lure 

 the performer thereby, making its capture an easy matter. In 

 the woods they are wonderfully tame and unsuspicious, allowing 

 themselves to be stroked by the hand as they sleepily roost upon 

 their perches. This has been accomplished by numerous orni- 

 thologists in the field, and many specimens have thus been taken 

 alive. They prey principally upon moles and mice, and other 

 small animals, and are extremely useful in aiding to check the 

 undue increase of such forms in nature. 



