335 
Concord, Mass.
1897.                                                                                                                                                    
Nov. 17
(No 4)                  
  Altogether I had these interesting & beautiful 
creatures within a few yards of me for at
least ten minutes. At the end of this time 
they flew off into the tall pines to Bensen's ridge,
one following the other rather closely. A moment
or two later the male came back and circled 
about the little meadow & pond by the causeway
following the line of trees closely.
  There can be no question that these Owls
were of different sexes for one was fairly a third
larger than the other. They behaved, too, like
mated birds but of course they may have 
been young of the same brood or their
association on this occasion may have
been purely fortuitous.
  This is the first opportunity I have ever
had of watching the Long-eared Owl while
actually engaged in hunting all the birds that I have
hitherto observed having been either met with
in the day-time or seen at evening flying
across openings on the way from one piece
of woods to another. I confess that I had
not suspected that they sought their prey
to so large a degree in the open & by flying about in
search of it but had pictured the bird sitting
erect & still in the depths of the woods watching 
the ground beneath.
[margin]End[/margin]
