. Bird lore . The Barred Owl at Rhinebeck, N. Y. By MAUNSELL S. CROSBY WHEN I first came to Rhinebeck, in 1895, Screech Owls were the onlycommon Owls and could be heard calling every evening. In winter,an occasional Sno^^y Owl was shot by village sportsmen, andonce or twice a Great Horned Owl was reported to me, although I neversaw one myself. One autumn, a Short-eared Owl appeared for a week or more,on his way south, appropriated and beheaded a hen, and feasted nightly onher dwindling remains. It was in 1901 that I heard the first Barred Owls. They came in March,and at once made themselves no
. Bird lore . The Barred Owl at Rhinebeck, N. Y. By MAUNSELL S. CROSBY WHEN I first came to Rhinebeck, in 1895, Screech Owls were the onlycommon Owls and could be heard calling every evening. In winter,an occasional Sno^^y Owl was shot by village sportsmen, andonce or twice a Great Horned Owl was reported to me, although I neversaw one myself. One autumn, a Short-eared Owl appeared for a week or more,on his way south, appropriated and beheaded a hen, and feasted nightly onher dwindling remains. It was in 1901 that I heard the first Barred Owls. They came in March,and at once made themselves noticed by their loiid hooting and hissing. Ipresume they were fortunate in rearing a brood, for they returned in 1902, andchose a dilapidated barn en my place for their nesting-site. I had never beforeheard of such a site being used, especially as there were no trees very near, and,as I was away at the time, I questioned the fact, but was assured of its truth ■■^JNHi!.J- ™ 8 ^. by several of my men. On my return, I heard that a laborer had killed themother bird, when he found her in the hay-loft, and had brought threeowlets, fully feathered but unable to fly, to my farmer, who fed them on rawmeat until I came to take charge of them. One fell off the Hmb of a tree wherehe had been put, and died from the effects, but the other two lived and kept them in a large stone barn and fed them on raw meat, mice, and youngEnglish Sparrows. Although these were always dead when I brought them, the (87) 88 Bird-Lore Owls invariably crushed their skulls with their beaks, and then swallowed themwhole, head first, with much effort and a very human opening and shutting ofthe eyes. The only sounds they uttered were a threatening snapping of thebill and a peculiar hissing with a rising inflection, accompanied by a side-to-side swaying of the body. On seeing me approach, they would fly down to me from their favorite rafter,and ahght on the floor withtheir legs stretched
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