The American Barn Owl 



five Kangaroo Rats (Perodipus), one Pocket Mouse (Perognathus), and 

 two White-footed Mice (Peromyscus). And Finley has said: 1 "An old 

 Owl will capture as much or more food than a dozen cats in a night. The 

 owlets are always hungry; they will eat their own weight in food every 

 night and more if they could get it. A case is on record where a half- 

 grown owl was given all the mice it could eat. It swallowed eight in 

 rapid succession. The ninth followed all but the tail, which for some time 

 hung out of the bird's mouth. The rapid digestion of the Raptores is 

 shown by the fact that in three hours the little glutton was ready for a 

 second meal and swallowed four additional mice." 



With this enormous capacity for destruction it becomes of real con- 

 cern for us to know just what the Barn Owl eats. Exhaustive studies have 

 been made by Government officials, studies which prove that the Barn 

 Owl is without peer in the economic restraint of mice, moles, shrews, rats, 

 and gophers. In its destruction of pocket gophers alone a single Barn Owl 

 is worth from twenty to fifty dollars per annum to the State of California. 

 When to this is added its services in destroying meadow mice of the Micro- 

 tits group, the bird's economic value is beyond calculation. 



Regarding the Barn Owl's relations to the bird world, it has to be 

 confessed that the smaller birds do appear occasionally upon its bill of 

 fare. The proportion of birds found in an eastern investigation, for 

 example, was nearly five per cent. But at that the adverse count is neg- 

 ligible in comparison with its overwhelming services. The Barn Owl is 

 certainly the least destructive to bird life of all owls, and we suspect that 

 the percentage of destruction in the West is materially less than in the 

 East. Much may be learned in this regard from the attitude of the smaller 

 birds. Thus, the Sparrow Hawk (Cerchneis sparverius) , which only rarely 

 attacks birds, goes and comes unnoticed by the smaller songsters, whereas 

 the slightest movement of the Sharp-shinned Hawk is accompanied by a 

 wave of apprehension. The facts regarding a night prowler are more 

 difficult to get at, for his feathered victims are presumably asleep when 

 the silent bolt falls. All I can say is that the accidental disturbance of a 

 Barn Owl at midday is never attended by the hue and cry which invariably 

 follows the course of a Horned Owl, or even a Screech Owl. The birds do 

 not recognize Tyto as an enemy, if he is one. Mr. Brooks, here at Santa 

 Barbara, saw a Burrowing Owl attack a Barn Owl sharply and put him to 

 flight, but he was probably actuated by professional jealousy. On the 

 other hand, I once had a pretty proof that at least one song bird does not 

 fear the Barn Owl. The Barn Owl is nothing if not methodical. For some 

 months past a bird in returning from the nightly hunt has passed exactly 

 over the peak of our house, and barely clearing it, — using the point, 



•Condor. Vol. VIII., July, 1906. p. 87. 



TO// 



