. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . les, if in the open sage; but it is limited to gopher holes if in ,^<., the close - cropped pasture land, which is an equal faxorite. It is probable that the Burrowing Owl does not originate burrows, altho in the case of the smaller rodents the tunnels require to be enlarged. This the bird does, not with its beak, but with the powerful claws, loosening tlie dirt and kicking it backward by successive stages until it is ejected at the entrance. A typical burrow may descend sh
. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . les, if in the open sage; but it is limited to gopher holes if in ,^<., the close - cropped pasture land, which is an equal faxorite. It is probable that the Burrowing Owl does not originate burrows, altho in the case of the smaller rodents the tunnels require to be enlarged. This the bird does, not with its beak, but with the powerful claws, loosening tlie dirt and kicking it backward by successive stages until it is ejected at the entrance. A typical burrow may descend sharply three or four feet, then bend and rise slightly until an ample nesting chamber, a foot or more in wiiUh and six inches deep, is reached. The nesting ca\ity is lined heavily with dried horse-dung, torn to featherysiu^eds and spread e\enly. The tunnel has more or less of the same materialscattered thruout its length, and a certain amount distributed over tlie externalmound is a necessary evidence of occupation. One need not kill these Owlsto learn what thev feed on. for half-eaten mice, dismembered frogs, and. Taken in IVallaWalla County. Photo by tlic Author. NO E.^SY TASK. BL-RROWINC OWL EXPOSED AT END OF TUNNEL NINE FEET IN LENGTH. 4SS TIIK ; r. and invite tlie offices of ihe far-vcntnringhlow-tly. Fleas nsnally a!x>niul: and alt>j,etlier the nnptial cliambcr of thisdongluy truyludyte is not an inviting phue. From six to eleven young are raised in a single hrood; and when weconsider tiiat the adults tiiemselves re(|uire more than their own weight ofanimal fd daily, we hegin to form some conception of the economic im-]H>rtaiue of ilu-se hirds. Their food includes all the haneful rout of rodents. and they are able tokill ground scpiir-rels of a size equalto their own. Be-sides these, lizards,f II igs, snakes, andeven small fish, arecaptured. Grasshop-pers and crickets, aswell as beetles ofin a n y sorts, food, and forthese the bird huntsi)y da
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Keywords: ., bookauthordaws, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds
