OTHER NEIGHBORS IN THE TREES. 239 



fcinous winds 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault." 

 In common with all the Baptores, they catch their prey 

 with the talons, not with the beak. In eating birds, the 

 owl prefers to tear his prey in piecemeal, but a small ro- 

 dent is swallowed entire, being usually tossed into the air 

 to adjust its position, so that it may fall head first into the 

 bird's mouth. It disappears in one astonishing gulp. A 

 second gulp is usually needed, as the tail is often after the 

 first left hanging from one side of the mouth. 



6. The great horned owl has usually a white collar 

 around its neck. It is truly a magnificent bird, of indomi- 

 table spirit and large size, being about two feet in length. 

 It does not migrate, and is found pretty much all over 

 North America. It breeds in winter and early spring, 

 nesting in hollow trees and crevices of rocks, and is said 

 to build also on some large branch, or in the crotch of a 

 tree. Dr. Coues gives an interesting account of two un- 

 fledged ones, which he captured in Dakota, in the month 

 of June. They were his pets for the whole summer, and 

 traveled with him several hundred miles. For a while 

 they had two different notes, the one of hunger or loneli- 

 ness, a querulous, explosive syllable, and the other a harsh 

 cry of anger, or remonstrance, when rudely handled. 



7. They did not begin to hoot until they were about 

 four months old, and then only while at liberty during the 

 night ; for, says he, they became so thoroughly tame that, 

 as their wings grew, enabling them to take short flights, I 

 used to release them in the evening from the tether by 

 which they were confined. They enjoyed the liberty, and 

 eventually would stay away all night, doubtless foraging 

 for themselves, for their natural prey, and returning for 

 shelter behind my tent in the morning. 



8. The little horned owl is the Scops asio, and is vari- 

 ously known as the American screech-owl, the red owl, and 

 the mottled owl. It is but ten inches long, though that is 



