. Birds that hunt and are hunted; . Permanent resident. Whoo-whoo-too-whoo-too-o-o, with endless variation, a deeptoned, guttural, weird, startling sound, and haw-haw-hoo-hoo,like a coarse, mocking laugh, come from the noisy hoot owl be-tween dusk and midnight, rarely at sunrise, more rarely still byday, sometimes from a solitary hooter, sometimes in a duetsung out of time. Every one knows the hoot. One hears itmost frequently at the nesting season. Once in a very greatwhile this owl gives a shriek to make ones blood curdle. Manyof us have attracted the bird by imitating its notes. Becausethe
. Birds that hunt and are hunted; . Permanent resident. Whoo-whoo-too-whoo-too-o-o, with endless variation, a deeptoned, guttural, weird, startling sound, and haw-haw-hoo-hoo,like a coarse, mocking laugh, come from the noisy hoot owl be-tween dusk and midnight, rarely at sunrise, more rarely still byday, sometimes from a solitary hooter, sometimes in a duetsung out of time. Every one knows the hoot. One hears itmost frequently at the nesting season. Once in a very greatwhile this owl gives a shriek to make ones blood curdle. Manyof us have attracted the bird by imitating its notes. Becausethe voice of the great horned owl, that tiger among birds,is so like it, the barred owl is credited with its larger kinsmansatrocities and shot. Its own talons are not wholly guiltless ofinnocent blood, to be sure, since out of one hundred and ninestomachs examined by Dr. Fisher for the Department of Agri-culture, five contained young poultry or game, and thirteen otherbirds ; but over one-third contained mice and other small mam- 34o. BARRED OWL. Horned and Hoot Owls mals; frogs, fish, lizards, and insects filled the remainder, whichgoes to prove that, in spite of the average farmers belief tothe contrary, this owl renders him positive service. To see thebarred owl is to identify it at once by its smooth, bland, almosthuman face, its mild blue black eyes, and the absence of hornsfrom its round head. Woods, waysides, and sheltered farms are the barred owlshunting grounds; and because it so frequently lodges through thesunny hours in hay lofts and stacks, many people call it the barnowl, a name which should be discouraged by disuse to save theendless confusion arising by the application of the same popularname to two or more different species. True barn owls are notonly a distinct species, but constitute a separate family. The un-earthly, weird voices of several owls make each one indifferentlya hoot owl to the average listener. In February, the barred owl loses his unsocial, hermit
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidbirdstha, booksubjectbirds
