CHAPTER XXI 
THE ORDER OF BIRDS OF PREY 
RAPT ORES 
To every farmer and poultry-raiser, the birds of this Order are divided nto two groups, friends 
and enemies. Inasmuch as feathered friends are to be encouraged, and all enemies slain, the standing 
of each species becomes a life-or-death matter. America is a wide and populous country, and despite 
the labors of the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture, there are yet millions of 
persons who desire precise information regarding our hawks and owls. Because of the economic 
importance of the subject, we will devote a liberal amount of space and effort to the important mem- 
bers of this group. The Families of the Order are as follows: 
FAMILIES. 
ORDER 
RAPTOR ES. 
Barn-Owls, . 
Horned Owls, 
Hawks, . . . 
Vultures, . . 
STRI-GI' DAE, . . 
BU-BON'I-DAE, . 
FAL-CON'I-DAE, . 
CA-THAR'TI-DAE, 
EXAMPLES. 
Barn, or Monkey-Faced Owls. 
Horned, Burrowing, Snowy and Screech-Owls. 
Hawks, Kites, Buzzards and Eagles. 
California, Turkey and Black Vultures. 
THE BARN-OWL FAMILY. 
Strigidae. 
It is now a well-established fact that “owls 
are among the most beneficial of all birds,” in- 
flicting little damage upon the producers of 
poultry, and conferring vast benefits upon the 
farmer by the destruction of mammal and insect 
pests. Inasmuch as their regular working hours 
are from sunset to sunrise, they wage success- 
ful war on the nocturnal mammals which remain 
quiet during the daytime in order to escape 
hawks and other daylight enemies. 
Owls are exceedingly interesting birds, and 
in them there is also much to admire. They 
take life seriously; they have but few nerves, 
and seldom use them. Rarely do they become 
really tame or affectionate, but easily become 
very indignant at real or fancied affronts. Like 
many people of few words and solemn manner, 
they are not nearly so wise as they look. They 
are easily caught in steel traps, or shot; and they 
are much given to nesting in situations that are 
wide open to attack. 
Omitting the subspecies, — which are only geo- 
graphic races, — there are eighteen species of 
owls in North America, north of Mexico. They 
vary in size from the tiny elf-owl, of Arizona, 
only 6 inches in total length, to the great gray 
owl, of the arctic regions, 30 inches long. 
With the exception of the great horned owl, 
the owls of our country are by no means so de- 
structive to poultry and wild bird life as is gen- 
erally supposed. The great majority of the 
species feed upon wild mice, rats, squirrels, 
shrews, fish, crustaceans and insects; and some 
of them render great service to man. Nearly 
all owls are night-flyers, and by reason of their 
soft, fluffy plumage, which renders their flight 
quite noiseless, they are specially fitted to keep 
in check the grand army of destructive rodents 
that roam abroad under cover of darkness. 
Owls do very well in captivity, provided they 
are properly housed and fed, and have com- 
fortable perches to sit upon. Naturally, they 
are most active at night, and quiet in the day- 
time. Be it known, however, that they cannot 
live long on a steady diet of beefsteak. Every 
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