82 



THE ATLANTIC SLOPE NATURALIST. 



tore any clothing within reach. He 

 sank among the trees first, then rose 

 and sailed away toward the north- 

 west, disappearing over a hill in the 

 distance. It is to be hoped that no 

 one will shoot him, as he would not 

 be good for anything, his feathers 

 being in poor condition and his tail 

 about gone. 



Several of Mr. Baynes' friends were 

 present with cameras, and when Mr. 

 Baynes let him go they took snap 

 shots at him. 



The Timber Owl of the Mississippi 

 Valley. 



By Edgar S. Jones, Principal of Schools, 

 Lovington, Illinois. 



As the twilight turns into darkness 

 a solemn stillness seems to pervade 

 the woods along the waterways in the 

 early summer eves, and the day birds 

 have taken up their abode for the 

 night, while the nocturnal ones are 

 just coming forth. 



This stillness is broken by my cry 

 of "Who, who are you?" I utter 

 these immediately after making a 

 swoop through the trees, so that if any 

 animal be near it will take its flight, 

 hence giving me an opportunity of 

 capturing it as it is by sound prin- 

 cipally that I am able to locate my 

 prey. After listening a short time I 

 change my position from on the lower 

 limb of a tree or on the top of a, tall 

 stump to a similar one at quite a dis- 

 tance, for by so doing it makes it 

 more difficult for my enemies to lo- 

 cate me, besides giving me a better 

 chance to get food, although I gener- 

 ally hunt in the same locality each 

 night. My down} r wing feathers al- 

 low me to make these rapid flights 

 through the air without making 

 scarcelj T any noise. 



In the early summer I have some 

 trouble in capturing quadrupeds and 

 birds, as that is the hatching season 

 for most birds, while the rabbit, 

 opossum and other nocturnal animals 

 do not come to the streams for water, 

 as they do later in the season, therefore 

 my meals then often consist of the 



larger insects, but by Juty there is a 

 general movement of the parent as 

 well as of the young. 



As I do not eat oftener than once a 

 day, it is necessary that I procure at 

 least three or four birds or other 

 animals each evening, especially when 

 there are young owls to be fed, as it 

 takes several weeks to teach them how 

 to hunt. 



The wood-pecker is a bird that I 

 do not molest, as he is about the only 

 close neighbor, often having his home 

 in the same tree and many times in 

 the same limb. I use my claws in 

 grasping animals, holding them firmly 

 while I use the bill as a weapon of de- 

 struction, also using it when necessary 

 in defense. 



In the summer months I am back 

 home before dim night, but during 

 the autumn I remain out longer, as 

 the birds have begun to migrate aud 

 it now requires more food on the ac- 

 count of the approach of winter. On 

 windy nights or during rainfall it is 

 nearly fruitless for me to search for 

 food as I would be unable to dis- 

 tinguish sounds. 



There are but three animals that 

 cause me much fear, the raccoon, 

 mink and weasel. The raccoon aims 

 to find me in my home, just at twi- 

 light before I leave in the evening or 

 just before dawn after I have returned 

 and eaten my meal. 



The mink lies in wait along the 

 sandy shore where I go each evening 

 either for a drink or a bath. It is 

 when taking my bath that lie is most 

 likely to catch me, as his approach 

 through the water is nearly noiseless.. 



The weasel, my greatest enemy, is 

 liable to attack me at any and all 

 times, often destroying an entire fam- 

 ily in one night. He also makes many 

 day attacks. Many times we mis- 

 take him for a rabbit or a rat, and an 

 owl would be very fortunate^ should 

 he come out the victor. 



During the winter months my home 

 is in a hollow limb that is often par 



