. Birds through the years . from his peculiar cry heard at night fromthe depths of the forest. Wlioo-zvlioo ,• ivhoohoo;ivhoo-whoo-ah, he shouts,often rei)cating the is a weird, rather lonesomecry, which I hear more oftenwhen the nights are cloudy,coming from the evergreenforest a half mile away. Atthis distance it is rather mellowand pleasing, but close at handit is harsh, not to say star-tling. A reason often given forthis unique cry, but which Ido not quite credit, is thatthe Hoot Owl, when hunting,sends forth his harsh call tostartle the small birds andanimals which happen to be
. Birds through the years . from his peculiar cry heard at night fromthe depths of the forest. Wlioo-zvlioo ,• ivhoohoo;ivhoo-whoo-ah, he shouts,often rei)cating the is a weird, rather lonesomecry, which I hear more oftenwhen the nights are cloudy,coming from the evergreenforest a half mile away. Atthis distance it is rather mellowand pleasing, but close at handit is harsh, not to say star-tling. A reason often given forthis unique cry, but which Ido not quite credit, is thatthe Hoot Owl, when hunting,sends forth his harsh call tostartle the small birds andanimals which happen to benear. By the noise made intheir haste to escape it is said he can locate and at oncepounce upon them. This Owl, too, feeds upon mice, small birds, and soon as the shadows of evening begin to fall in theforest, he rouses himself from the drowsy state in whichhe has passed the day, peers out from his home in thehollow tree, and when the twilight is deep enough to en-able him to see well, begins his Barred Owl. 186 BIRDS THROUGH THE YEAR Silently he flits through the gloom, guided by his wonder-ful sight, now close to the ground looking for wood mice,now through a dark thicket searching for the songsterscozily tucked away for the night on some sheltered ruthless hunter knows no difference between goodsingers and bad, birds of gay plumage and those of somberdress, for all are equally attractive to his greedy appetite. Swooping down upon these defenseless creatures, heseizes his victim in his cruel claws, then takes it to a near-by limb and feasts at his leisure, but mice are swallowedwhole. Birds are torn in pieces, the bones and otherindigestible parts being ejected from the mouth in largepellets. Soon he takes wing again, for his hunger is great,and repeats the process until gorged. Then perching nearhis home, he sends forth his cry, to express his satisfactionwith the evenings hunt. During the hours of daylight,safely hidden away, he is rarely seen
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1910
