. Wild wings; adventures of a camera-hunter among the larger wild birds of North America on sea and land . nly about a dozen feetfrom me, mewing like a cat, wailing like a lynx, fairly scream-ing with fear and indignation, and as an interlude snappingher bill so rapidly as to suggest the roll of a watchmansrattle. Father Owl allowed me only fleeting glimpses ofhimself at a resj^ectful distance, as he approached to assisthis agonized mate, only to retreat as his scant courage wasexhausted. This continued as long as I remained in the tree,about half an hour. Minded to have a pet or two, I return
. Wild wings; adventures of a camera-hunter among the larger wild birds of North America on sea and land . nly about a dozen feetfrom me, mewing like a cat, wailing like a lynx, fairly scream-ing with fear and indignation, and as an interlude snappingher bill so rapidly as to suggest the roll of a watchmansrattle. Father Owl allowed me only fleeting glimpses ofhimself at a resj^ectful distance, as he approached to assisthis agonized mate, only to retreat as his scant courage wasexhausted. This continued as long as I remained in the tree,about half an hour. Minded to have a pet or two, I returned to camp for a of the young owls fell from the nest as I started down,and I put it on a stub for safety from prowlers. When Ireturned in the afternoon, the youngster on the stub haddisappeared, as well as one from the nest. The female wasnow as shy as she had been bold, only barely venturing withinsight. Curious to know whither the parents had transportedtheir young, I climbed to every nest I could discover withina considerable radius, numbering not a few, but all in vain. OWL SECRETS 305. ADULT SCREECH OWL. HIDING POSE The remaining young I carried home with me. Fed on rawmeat, they grew up and made interesting pets. There remain now the two httle fellows — the Screechand the Saw-whet or Acadian Owls — for us as owlers toconsider. The tremulous hooting of the Screech Owl is stilla common sound in rural New England, and is even heardin towns and villages. I love to sit on my piazza of a moon-light night in autumn and be serenaded by one of the littlefellows from a Norway spruce near by. But though theybe ever so common, it is seldom that one is seen. Most often 3o6 WILD WINGS I see them at dusk, when just out of the hole for the nightlyhunt, perched on a tree by the roadside or in the afternoon in early spring I was driving home at dusk,when, hearing one of these owls, I stopped to listen. Thesound came from somewhere close at hand, but for sometime
Size: 1424px × 1754px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorjobh, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds
