Tlie Food of the Owls. 19 
"hoo ! lioo ! hoo ! seemingly regarding the whole performance as a 
huge joke. 
Unfortunately for the owl, this comedy would sometimes be quickly 
turned to a tragedy by a load from my shotgun, bringing him to the 
ground, and perhaps the hen also. 
The principal food of the owl in the Spoon River country con- 
sists of small rodents, and the gray rabbit furnishes the greater part 
of it. Reference to my note-book for the years 1887-8 shows the 
following : 
March 20, '87. Found a Bubo's nest in a large red oak tree, 
forty feet to first limb, seventy-five to nest. A tremendous climb, 
but with the aid of a splendid pair of climbers I got up to it, find- 
ing it occupied by a trio of downy baby owls of different sizes, who- 
tried to look very fierce at my intrusion. In the nest with them 
was a whole rabbit and parts of another. 
March 27, '87. Great-horned Owl's nest in white oak tree, 
standing in a steep hollow. Could see young birds from hillside 
above. An easy climb to the nest found it containing two half- 
grown young and half of a rabbit. 
March 30, '87. Discovered a Great-horned Owl's nest in a cavity 
of a soft maple tree, thirty feet from ground. Found in it three 
young and parts of several rabbits. 
March 31, '87. Located a Bubo's nest in an elm snag fourteen 
feet high, standing on a creek bank. Found in the nest three 
young owls with their feathers turned wrong end to, 
bills wrathfully and looking the very personification of 
The largest of the three was half-grown, while the smallest was near 
the size of a quail. 
In the cavicy was one whole rabbit, the hindquarters of another, 
a flying squirrel, and a quantity of fish-scales. While I was sitting 
on a limb by the side of the cavity, watching the little fellows, the 
parent owls suddenly appeared upon the scene, and I had a cyclone 
about my ears for a few minutes. Such a whirl of feathers, claws, 
fierce eyes, snapping beaks, hootings and screechings about my head 
was calculated to terrorize one unaccustomed to the actions of this, 
the greatest of all the owls. 
After continuing these demonstrations for a few minutes, one of 
them, the male I supposed from his coarse voice and white crescent 
under the chin, settled down upon a limb a few feet from the 
ground just over the creek. 
His manner now underwent a change. Swaying to and fro for a 
