CONCORD. 
1897 
November 17 
Long-eared 
Owls 
A rare piece of good fortune fell to my lot as I 
was on my way back to the ctabin this evening. It was about 
five o'clock and twilight was fast deepening although the 
afterglow in the west cast a strong light over the larger 
open spaces. It was perfectly still, the wind having long 
since died away. I was following the wood road that leads 
around the south end of Davis’s Hill and had nearly reached 
the brook when an Owl glided close past me, flying just 
above the tops of the young oaks and quickly disappearing 
in the gloom against a background of pines. I gave a 
few low squeaks when it quickly reappeared and passed and 
repassed low over my heed a dozen times or more, finally 
pitching sharply upward and alighting on a dead, upright 
prong of one of the large pines that stand on the edge of 
the brook. 
Up to this time I had taken it for a Short-ear but, 
putting my glass on it, I saw at once that it was a Long¬ 
eared Owl. I looked atit for several minutes and then 
squeaked again. It left its perch at once and came 
directly towards me, but before it reached me another and 
much larger bird of the same species suddenly appeared 
directly over my head and literally within reach of my 
hand . Then, to my amazement, it poised for several seconds 
on loosely beating wings not two feet from and directly 
above my upturned face. Every time I squeaked, it would 
