. Bits of bird life . r pres-ent in the Uni-ted States ex-cept in autumn and winter, ^■and then usually only in comparativelysmall numbers. Occasionally, however,as it did in 1877-8, it appears in largenumbers, and is eagerly shot for thecabinet or parlor. Its food consistschiefly of lemmings, hares and ptarmi-gans. When in the United States it also destroys many enough, this owl is an expert fisher, and has oftenbeen seen on the margins of pools, waiting an opportunity toseize its finny prey. Very different from the preceding speciesboth in appearance and habits is the Barn or
. Bits of bird life . r pres-ent in the Uni-ted States ex-cept in autumn and winter, ^■and then usually only in comparativelysmall numbers. Occasionally, however,as it did in 1877-8, it appears in largenumbers, and is eagerly shot for thecabinet or parlor. Its food consistschiefly of lemmings, hares and ptarmi-gans. When in the United States it also destroys many enough, this owl is an expert fisher, and has oftenbeen seen on the margins of pools, waiting an opportunity toseize its finny prey. Very different from the preceding speciesboth in appearance and habits is the Barn or Monkey-facedOwl (Fig. 4), as it is often not inaptly termed. While theSnowy Owl is a bird of the inclement north, the Barn Owlloves sunnier climes, and is found from about the latitude ofthe Middle States southward, not only through the UnitedStates but over almost all the world. Doubtless in earlytimes the Barn Owl had to depend upon its own resources fora habitation, but it was quick to perceive the advantages of. 62 OWLS AND THEIR USES. a co-partnership with man, and early learned to build itsnest in odd nooks and crannies of barns, churches andmonasteries. This owl feeds nearly exclusively upon rodents, andespecially mice, and does its hunting almost at the threshing-floor of the farmer. It is therefore a friend which should be by the Barn Owl is simply enormous. The Southern planteralso owes it a debt of gratitude from the persistent war itwages upon the cotton rat. The lyong-eared Owl (Fig. 5), as its name implies, haslong ear-tufts, which give it a peculiarly wise appearance, andunfortunately render it a favorite ornament of the parlor andstudy. It is one of our most common owls, both East andWest, and almost every dark pine thicket shelters a pair ortwo. It roosts in trees, and in them builds a rude nest ofsticks and twigs. In the far West, I have started a dozenor more from a thicket of bushes a few yards in extent. It is one of our most assiduous mouse-destroyers,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1895
