Some Iowa Owl Notes 
165 
broken window pane made the chute easy of entrance. Another 
of the Sparrows’ haunts is our chicken house. One morning, 
upon entering this building, we found the Owl there, flying 
about over the chickens’ heads and causing the greatest of con- 
fusion, apparently frightening himself fully as much as he was 
terrorizing the chicken population. He finally collected his 
wits and escaped through an open window. 
The late Dr. Bert Heald Bailey, in his “ Raptorial Birds of 
Iowa” (1918), said that the Screech Owl’s “food consists very 
largely of mice; although sometimes small birds are taken, 
especially the English Sparrow and Blue Jay.” Is it not pos- 
sible that the Screech Owl catches a few native Sparrows, or 
can it discriminate between the English and American species? 
One afternoon in January (1922) I heard a company of 
Crows making a great din in a wood close at hand, and, think- 
ing I might catch sight of a Hawk or Owl which was being 
“ mobbed,” I followed the flight line taken by Crows which 
were hastening to the scene of excitement. As I approached, 
the Crows departed, and I found a Barred Owl jumping from 
branch to branch in the tops of some conifers, trying to keep 
one eye on the fleeing Crows and the other on me. He did not 
leave, however, probably taking me as the less of two evils, and 
soon settled in a tree over my head. 
The Owl’s back was toward me when he became quiet and 
I wished to get a better look at his face; he did not seem at all 
inclined to turn around, either. Soon I imitated the Screech 
Owl’s wavering whistle, thinking I could perhaps make him turn 
around. A moment later, by chance, I dropped my eyes to a 
lower plane and I was greatly astonished to see a Screech Owl 
eyeing me from a branch a few yards away and only a little 
higher than my head, as if to say, “ That was a poor imitation, 
Pierce — von need some lessons.” How he came to be there I can 
but conjecture. He must have flown there when he heard my 
whistle, although the flapping of his wings did not catch my 
eye. If he had been sitting on the limb when I came I think 
I should have seen him, although his plumage (red) and the 
bark of the tamarack did mncli to conceal him. Both of the 
Owls were well camouflaged when sitting directly in front of 
the tree trunks, and after looking away it was hard to pick 
their outlines from the bark. The ground was covered with 
icy snow and the bright sun shining upon it produced a. blind- 
ina- effect. The Screech Owl’s eyes were narrowed to mere slits. 
C> ^ 
