. The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state . beenthe debris ofse\eral thou-sand miceand Ben-dire is certainthat the cap-tures of a sin-gle pair ofP>arn Owls,during thenesting sea-son, exceedthose of adozen catsfor the species has lately been reported from \arious points all o\er the state, including sev-eral along the Lake Erie shore: luit the only region where it is yet calledcommon is in the lower Scioto Valley. Rev. W. F. Henninger, at Waverly,mounted ten specimens brought in to him at vari
. The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state . beenthe debris ofse\eral thou-sand miceand Ben-dire is certainthat the cap-tures of a sin-gle pair ofP>arn Owls,during thenesting sea-son, exceedthose of adozen catsfor the species has lately been reported from \arious points all o\er the state, including sev-eral along the Lake Erie shore: luit the only region where it is yet calledcommon is in the lower Scioto Valley. Rev. W. F. Henninger, at Waverly,mounted ten specimens brought in to him at various times from i8g8 to1901. He says the birds are known locally as White Owls, and that theyfrequent the bottom lands adjilining the Scioto River, breeding most coin-monlv in the large sycamores which line that stream. The Barn Owl, as its name indicates, often passes the day in barns oroutbuildings, being drawn thither solely by the abundance of mice whichsuch places afford. It is said to be a very quiet, peaceable bird, offering noviolence to the poultry, not even to tlie pigeons which often share its quar-. ^iTK oi- xni-; Photo by Drr,Ak.\ THE AMERICAN BARN OWL. 373 ters. When disturbed during its slumbersit makes a liissing noise, or cliclvs its mandi-bles in a threatening- way. It has besidesa peevish scream, and some querulousnotes hard to characterize further. Its veryodd appearance arouses in the average far-mers boy who discovers him a curiositywhich is too seldom satisfied until the oldmusket has been discharged and the bestmouser in seven counties is reduced to amere heap of feathers. Of the breeding habits, Captain CharlesBendire says :^ The Barn Owl, strictlyspeaking, makes no nest. If occupying anatural cavity of a tree the eggs are placedon the rubbish that may have accumulatedon the bottom; if in a bank they are laid onthe bare ground and among the pellets offur and small bones ejected by the quite a lot of such material isfound in their
Size: 1782px × 1402px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1903
