6 THE A.U.DIU BiOJN’ BUC eee 
side of the ravine opposite where we were. It was very weird, the high bluffs 
with the deep ravine between making it more so. This was repeated several 
times and answered by another owl farther on. Later I was to learn that 
these were the courting calls of the great horned owl. 
January 21 of this year, at 8:15 a.m., there was a most lovely display 
of hoar frost on grasses, shrubs and trees along 100th Street, between 
Hoyne and Western. A clump of grass apparently long since dead had put 
on a dress during the night that would have outdone its summer one. 
Farther on, Queen Anne’s lace and goldenrod were beyond description. The 
sun was at just the proper angle to show them off to perfection and I was 
thrilled at the beauty of it. My main interest is in the birds, but to be able 
to revel in whatever Nature has to offer will not find me insensible. 
The sky has many interesting objects,—planets, stars, the aurora 
borealis, rainbows and sun- and moondogs. This last December I for the 
first time saw the moons of Jupiter. During our extreme cold weather, 
while at Ridgway, Iowa, on New Year’s day, there was an unusual sight. 
CHICAGO ACADEMY OF SCIENCES PHOTO 
Saw-whet Owl 
Sundog's rode along with the sun all day on a large circle, one on each side. 
At the same time, in an are turned away from the circle there was a lovely 
rainbow. The neighbors told me that for two nights there had been moon- 
dogs also. I missed those as they were at midnight and toward five in the 
morning. These were considered rare phenomena. 
Before Christmas a trip to the Arboretum provided us with the treat 
of finding two saw-whet owls. By attracting their attention in front, Mr. 
Bartel was able to creep up from behind and catch one, and later the other 
in the same fashion. Seymour Levy banded one and let it go after their 
pictures were taken. Karl decided that he needed a larger band than he 
had with him, so he took the other owl home, banded it, kept it until 
morning, then returned it to the Arboretum, thinking that it might be one 
of a pair. The old saying, “wise as an owl,” seemed to hold good. We were 
