BURROWING OWL. 
i57 
diurnal habits in South America, Mr. W. H. Hudson writes that, “ all day long, in 
cold and in heat, it stands exposed at the mouth of its kennel, or on the viscacha’s 
mound, staring at the passer-by with an expression of grave surprise and repre¬ 
hension in its round yellow eyes; male and female invariably together, standing 
stiff' and erect, almost touching—of all birds that pair for life the most Darby-and- 
Joan-like.” In North America, where these owls are mainly confined to the 
prairie-regions, Captain Bendire writes that they “ may be seen sitting in front of 
their burrows at any hour of the day. When not unduly molested, they are not at 
all shy, and usually allow one to approach them near enough to note their curious 
antics. Their long slender legs give them rather a comical look, a sort of top- 
heavy appearance, and they are proverbially polite, being sure to bow to you as 
you pass by. Should you circle around them they will keep you constantly in 
view, and if this is kept up, it sometimes seems as if they were in danger of twisting 
their heads off in attempting to keep you in sight. If you venture too close, they 
will rise and fly a short distance, and generally settle down near the mouth of 
another burrow close by, uttering at the same time a chattering sort of note, and 
repeat the bowing performance. Occasionally, when disturbed, they alight 011 a 
small sage-bush, probably to get a better view of the surroundings.” 
In many parts of North America, the burrowing owl takes up its quarters in 
the warrens of the prairie-marmot ( Cynomys ), one pair of birds to a burrow ; and it 
was at one time thought that both owls and marmots, together with the rattlesnakes 
which likewise frequent the colonies, lived together as a kind of happy family. 
Modern research has, however, shown that this is one of many zoological fables. 
Captain Bendire is indeed of opinion that, in spite of its diminutive stature, the 
owl is a match both for the marmot and the snake, and that it subsists to some 
extent on the young marmots, if not also on the old ones. In parts where there 
are no marmots, such as California and Oregon, the owls generally frequent the 
burrows of the susliks ( Spermopliilus ), which they enlarge to suit their own 
requirements; and Dr. Coues states, they sometimes occupy the earths of wolves, 
foxes, or badgers. From having been found living alone, the latter writer thinks 
that the owls may sometimes excavate their own burrows, but this is considered 
improbable by Captain Bendire. On the pampas of Argentina, the burrowing owls 
take up their residence with the viscacha ( Lagostomus ). Mr. Hudson says that the 
“ birds generally make their own burrows to breed in, or sometimes take possession 
of one of the lesser outside burrows of the village; but their favourite residence, 
when not engaged in tending their eggs or young, is on the viscacheria.” During 
the daytime they are exceedingly bold, flying and screaming round the head of 
the intruder on their domains (as the writer has often witnessed); while at night 
their weird cry resounds across the silent pampas. In North America the food of 
these owls consists of young prairie-marmots, susliks, chipmunks, gophers, and 
other small mammals, as well as lizards, frogs, fish, large insects, and perhaps small 
birds. The owls hunt their prey mainly in the early evening and during the 
night, and but rarely in the daytime; they are exceedingly voracious, each 
bird being said to eat fully its own weight in the twenty-four hours, if it can 
obtain a sufficient supply. In North America the breeding-season commences 
in the latter part of March; the same burrow being generally used year after 
