Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-01-09

birds have a covering better adapted
to passing through the air without
noise. At night they may glide by
within few feet Of one, but not the
rustic Of feather will be heard more
than from some passing shadow. Il
is no shadow however, to the prey
they are il. sc arch Of when transfxec
by long, sharp talons. Then rather
it becomes the very embodiment o1
bone and sinew.
The owl most commonly met with
in this country is the Great Horned
Owl above mentioned. (Bubo Vir:
ginlanus, varD Specimens measure
about two feet in length, and four and
one-half feet from tip to tip of out
stretched wings. The female is some
what the hrgest, as is common among
birds Of prey. The loud, resonant
hooting of ibis bird and answer by its
mate is we'll known to almost every
body, but the bird has another utter
ance not so cften heard, Or recognized
when heard, as coming from the same
source. This last is harsh scream
uttered with the falling accent and at
regular intervals for sometimes hours
at time It is heard, if in the day
time, just before storm, but oftene1
on some still evening, and it is the
harshest and most disagreeable note
that comes from the throat Of any
bird I know. Listening to the sound
at night as il pierces the air from
some heavy clunp of timber, far re
moved from al. the deadening effects
of civilization on the imagination,
one is almost Inclined to believe some
Of the superstitions, Of the quaint OF
gloomy, connected with the bird him
self.
The Great Gray Owl, (Ulula Gin
erea) larger even than the one we
have been speaking about, and with
out horns; and the Snowy Owl,
(Myctea scandiaea) more or less pure
white all over, this last only g winter
bird from the regions far northward),
are other large species found in Mon
tana. Then there is the long cared
and the shortened owl, {Asio Ameri-
canus and Asld accipitrinus) neither
Of which are often met with here, and
the Burrowing Owl, (speotyto cuni-
cularla hypogaa) often seen about
prairie dog towns, and the Hawk Owl,
Iurnia funereD combining some of
the characteristics of both hawks and
owls, and last and least of those found
in this Territory, is the California
Pigmy Owl, (Glaucidium gnoma) one
Of the oldest little fellows imaginable.
This dwarf among his tribe stands
little more than six inches high, but
in his frame areall the characteristics
Of tho larger birds, and in addition,
moreover, quite a pleasing voice. My
first acquaintance with him was made
while living at Gold Run some years
back. Out hunting one day half way
up mountain side, / heard a strange
noise, evidently made by bird that
seemed to be on the mountain appo-
site and nearly mile distant. The
note might be represented by the syl-
liable cor p, uttered IN q clear. rather
musical tone, without infection and
at short, regular intervals. Listening
for some time, I at length determined
to hunt out the source of SO curious a
sound. Passing down into the narrow
valley [ had nDt gone over one
third Of a mile before the direction of
the sound seemed to change and hap
pening to look upward there was the
bird, perched on the very tip of a tall,
dead pine close by, although the sound
seemed no louded than when first
heard. On shooting and examining
the prize, it proved to be this specie
which is said to be common on the
Pacific slope, but not known before to
be on this side Of the range When
returning, [ met a man carrying ri
he. who lived far back in the timber.
He said he had heard curious sound
all the morning and was going out s'to
see what was up I told him what I
had been doing and accordingly he
turned back with me.
This little owl in his JOY at coming
spring, had wrought far more than
he intended with his mellow s.hoot-
ing Here. at least, tNo or more
persons with more or less murderous
intent had started out to hunt him
down. In silence there is WISDOM .
and herein ordinarily lies the wisdom
Of this bird. Only on two or three
occasions have I heard its call, but
since I have ran across several indi-
viduals in heavy timber quite distant
from mountains. This, as well as the
larger species, i've to great extent
on mice, and as a class owls may be
considered most useful birds.