The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1888-02-25


sation In hunting, and an exciting one.
too.
That is my first short-ear Of the
season. said the hunter. picking up his
game. 1t is little early for them.
Later on it will be no uncommon thing
to find them in fiocksof ten or dozen.
If you had flushed three pheasants as
those three owls were flushed, the noise
OF their wings could have been heard
for half mile. as you well know. You
might scare up three hundred of these
owls at once, and they would make
scarcely any more noise than so many
butterflies. Ghostly silence in fight
characterizes all species of owls. Hawks
fly noiselessly, too. These birds de-
pend on stealth in seeking their prey.
1t won't do for them to have any rustic
about their hunting. There Is another
peculiar thing about the lopg-eared
owl. H<you find them on piece Of
stubble you will not find any other
game bird there. and, of course. If you
find quail you needn't look for owls.
The only way that can explain that
fact is that the owl knows instinctively
that the game bird is liable to be
hunted, and that consequently he can
hunt his own mice more securely If he
goes where the quail do not come. The
long-eared owl is favorite with coli
lectors, its coat of cream color and
brown feathers seeming to be especially
admired.
"The rarest Of all owls are the hawk
owl. the snowy owl and the long-eared
owl. The hawk owl never saw in
Pennsylvania, but / have shot it in
Eastern New York and Connecticut
There is little owl called the sawet,
which is sometimes plen tiful and some
times scarce. They are blind as bats
in the day time, and when dawn APP
proaches they 60 to roost in the first
place they come to. Consequently we
often see them sitting on fence rails,
window stills, gate posts and house
roofs. just as well as in the woods. 1t
is no new trick to knock them over with
. stick ut such times. There is curl
GUS thing about the day-blind owls,
and that is that they are all summer
owls and go south on the approach of
cold weather.
"eThe great snow owl commands the
highest price from collectors. / have
sold especially fine specimens for twenty
dollars each. The boot owl, or horned
owl. is also highly priced 1t remains
in this latitude all winter.
''Owls have a peculiar way of eating.
They swallow their food. bones and all.
By some process the bones. fur and
feathers are all rolled up in small balls
in the owls stomach. Some species of
hawk take their food and eject their
refuse in the same way. When / was a
boy it was great sport for me to search
in the woods to find trees under which
could discover their elected balls.
That was q sure Indication that
rough-legged hawk or some species Of
owl made that tree its roosting place.
Taking long pole and fastening ON
one end q stout steel trap. / would bait
the trap with some mouse the birds
were fond of, and then push the trap
up In the branches of the tree and tie
The pole fast. seldom failed to find
hawk or an owl fast in the trap
when went to look after it. Once
captured magnificent snowy owl in |
hat way. BE was uninj ured except |
where the trap held its leg. After a |
great struggle-for . wounded owl |
s one of the worst customers to fool |
with in the woods tied his legs to- |
yether and his great wings down and |
'tarted proudly homeward with my
prize. / carried with me an old single
oarreled gun. The time was in the fall,
md on my way home laid the owl ON
he ground while stopped to gather
Iome hickory nuts. While thus en-
ragged I discovered . number of yellow
ackets going in and out of a hole in
he ground. knew at once that the
lole was the entrance to nest of these |
lively insects. took my gun and,
yoing close to the hole, fred into it and
'ook to my heels. Looking back after
had run q safe distance, saw the
1ellow-jackets swarming angrily out
# their dismantled home. The sound |
# the gun had startled the owl. and it
lad futtered about, bound as it was.
That futter was fatal to it. The savage
'ees saw the movement, and settled
lown on the helpless bird until his coat
vas as yellow as gold. Wherever the
could find spot to sink
finger they sank one. and in spite Of
Is bonds the poor owl rolled and tum-
lied about in agony. reloaded my
'un and. creeping up behind fallen
rec. until ! was near enough almost to
ouch the owl with the end Of my gun