BY THE WAYSIDE 
51 
a spider, its own fuel and use it with 
such incomparable economy as to trans¬ 
port itself through the air during tlm 
whole night at the rate of about fifty 
miles per hour and at the same time 
maintain its temperature at about 104° F 
in a surrounding medium not exceeding 
50° or 60°! And yet this is what the 
summer yellow bird does during its ex¬ 
tended journeys. Tt has been estimated 
that some of the swallows are capable of 
doing seventy miles in an hour. 
But what emergency could have in¬ 
duced a summer yellow bird to leave the 
luxuriance of a tropical climate and 
make such an extended journey into the 
polar regions ? How did it find the way 
there in the first place? Why did it not 
stay when it reached there ? How did it 
find its way back over 3,800 miles? Why 
do some of these birds, year after year, 
continue to make these long journeys, 
while others of the same species do not? 
(To be Continued) 
Now is the time to be making your 
bird-houses and to be planning how you 
will place them. If you can, take a look 
at some of the pictures in Mr. G. H. 
Trafton’s “How to Attract Birds.” 
This book contains a good deal of in¬ 
formation for those interested in bird 
protection. Have you ever tried to at¬ 
tract the birds to your home ? Bluebirds, 
wrens' and various swallows are readily 
induced to build in houses. Of course if 
you provide nesting places you must 
protect the birds from some of their 
enemies. Do not let human beings dis¬ 
turb them too much, and above all keep 
your cat in doors during the breeding 
season, or perchance she will eat the 
whole family. The English sparrows, 
too, may be a nuisance and if so, should 
be driven from the neighborhood or in¬ 
timidated. 
The Saw-whet Owl. 
l)e Wayne Townsend. 
To-day we are going to look for the 
Saw-whet Owl. Our search will lead us 
: nto the depths of the snow-laden tama¬ 
rack marshes and tangled willow thick¬ 
ets. We need not be very cautious for 
the snow muffles our footsteps, and these 
little owls are anything but shy. Al¬ 
though a fairly common resident in cer¬ 
tain localities in southern Wisconsin 
they are seldom seen, and are therefore 
wrongly classed as an extremely rare 
bird. Their small size, protective color¬ 
ation, and retiring habits may account 
for this apparent scarcity. Their silent 
flight is also a factor, for if we do not 
see them we certainly will not hear them. 
The bright yellow eyes are the most con¬ 
spicuous thing about them, their gen¬ 
eral coloration of olive, white, and 
brown, blends perfectly with the snow 
covered trees, and unless a movement 
betray their presence they are likely to 
pass unnoticed. The length of this little 
earless owl is less than eight inches, and 
it must be classed as the smallest Eastern 
representative of the Bubonidae. Its 
food consists almost, wholly of mice, 
though I have noted a few instances in 
which Juncos and Tree Sparrows, and 
once a Nuthatch, fell victims to its hun¬ 
ger. 
Like others of the family it seeks hol¬ 
lows in trees for nesting sites, and its 
small size enables it to use Flicker and 
Woodpecker holes for this purpose. 
The Saw-wliet is one of our most in¬ 
teresting bird neighbors, and one always 
willing to sleepily pose for us, providing 
we do not get too near. Let us visit him 
more often—he is always at home, al¬ 
though we are likely to find him 1 out 
unless we search carefully. 
