Lake Umbagog, Maine
1895
Sept 22
(no 2)
  He was evidently badly frightened. The Owl must have been
merely amusing himself for after a minute or two he left
the Heron and shot off and down on a long start towards
Richardson's Carry.
[marign]Asio
accipitrinus[/margin]
  Fifteen minutes later he reappeared skimming low over the
Moose Point marsh, evidently hunting, every now & then giving
three or four easy flaps of his broad wings but for the most
part gliding smoothly on set wings just above the tops of
the grasses inclining now to one side, next to the other and
at length turning short about and going back over the same
ground. reminding me much of the Marsh Hawk when similarly engaged.
Twice or thrice he rose sharply to a height of ten or fifteen
feet then turning downward shot back to the marsh again. This
evolution was strikingly like that performed so often by the Nighthawk
when skimming low over the fields after the light has faded and
I believe that it had the same object, namely the capture of some
flying insect, perhaps in this case one of the big Dytiscus beetles.
The [delete]light[/delete] darkness was now gathering past & it was hard to
follow the Owl with the eye. Indeed I had [delete]quite[/delete] lost sight
of him for a minute or more when it occurred to me to
try squeaking like a mouse. I had just squeaked the second
time when the Owl shot out of the gloom [crossed]coming[/crossed] straight
toward me about on a level with my head as he sat in the
boat. He came within less than 12 feet then turning abruptly
with three or four hurried flaps, skimmed off [crossed]again[/crossed] into the
darkness. Presently I squeaked again when he again came straight
for me this time so near (certainly within six or eight feet) that
I was positively a little apprehensive that he night strike my face.
We did not see him again but after we had returned to
camp a Heron on the marshes twice made such a loud &
prolonged clamor that we suspected the Owl was at his old sport.