The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-29
ME GREAT GRAY OWL.

WOODS with his gun, a-Shootln' innocent birds
IN ernest trilin' way. 1t does seem as eff a
dead bird was worth more to him than it:
weight in dollars, the way he takes on over
'em sometimes, an smooths their feathers, an
grins, an carries 'em off home a-whistlin,
Uncle Ezry oughter put IA stop to his trihin'
Clay was misunderstood. The innocent
birds" were not killed wantonly nor in idle
amusement Clay was thoroughly a student
OF nature; he loved the feathered songsters,
and it was for this love that he sought to OBJ
tain and to study them. Clay was an en-
thusiastic ornithologist.
In the rough neighborhood in which he
lived the people did not appreciate his pas
sion. How there could be joy and triumph
In the discovery of an unusually bright
breasted oriole or a peculiar colored warbler
was entirely beyond their somewhat dull
comprehension.
Clay would have explained these matters
han any enc amoqS his neighbors cared to
be informed. but he did not seek to force in
formation upon them, and their ignorant re-
marks did not disturb him in the least Only
enc person was able to annoy him by criti-
oising iRs pursuits; that was Saul Rhodes, a
boy with whom Clay thought it a disgrace to
have words of any kind.
beck on ornithOlogy, which in his early
boyh0od had fallen into Clay's possession,
had started him in his faYorite study and was
source OF constant reference and pleasure
xQhfm He called it his field book for he
frequently carried it about with him, and
every new bird be secured was by its aid
Identified end named
Z E1.J VS. an orphan boy, about II years
old and his home was with "Uncle Ezry" on
Srp near the banks of the Missouri river.
lie bad aaver been able to set the ''book
learning he desired, aid about the off1y
Things be could call his own were the clothes
on his back, his beloved field book and his
specimens Even the old shotgun he used he
had found slowed away in the farmhouse
garnet, WAners Uncle Ezry had put it when
ipEgsouirTvl hunting days were over
= The Odd man had as little svInpathy for
Claws study as his neighbqrs had, and he
was seT6re taskmnsteh who made the boy
work:as hard and as long as the ''hired man"
But when there was no work which was p!r-
ticularly pressing, he was not so i'll natured
as to nsfuge him the gun and a little time to
himself, for all that it was TO carry on fool
isdness"
Clay had filled his little sleeping room in
the old farm horse with many specimens of
the birds of the country. He had studied
taxidermy, and had mounted many of his
specimens in a careful and praiseworthy
manner There were some rare birds in his
collection, and these he secretly hoped one
day to sell, and thereby gain some money to
enable him to go to school
He bad also correspondent with the author
of his ''fieid book" who had given him the
name Of every rara avis which was likely to
be found in his vicinity together with the
cash price a professional bird fancier would
pay for each. So he was always on the look
out for unusual birds to add to his collection
or to sell at n bargain
One cold April evening Uncle Ezry sent
Clay to the ferry on an errand, and of course
the boy carried the gun along. The distance
was about three miles, and in 4 walk of this
length it was not at all improbable that he
would see some desirable specimen, either an
early spring adventurer or a winter laggard
The road lay for the most part along the
bank Of the river, and as the wild geese were
now flying north, he thought he might get a
shot at some of these birds, which were ia
vorite food at his uncle's table.
He did succeed, very soon after he started,
in bringing down two geese, which he left in
a covert of bushes until he should return
but he saw no other birds of any kind worth
shooting on his way to the ferry.
Here he met Saul Rhodes, overgrown, SLOW
emily dressed and loud mouthed, who informed
him that he was just ready to go home, and
would walk with him
This was unpleasant intelligence TO Clay,
for he had no interest in common with his
rough young neighbor, whose company was
very distasteful to him; but he could not well
refuse to walk with him, so, having deliver
ed his message to the ferry master, Clay, in
company with Saul, started on the return
home
As the young naturalist had expected, be
fore they had gone half a mile Saul began to
sheer at his habit of hunting birds "Wastin'
SO much good powder an shot" he said
"Whatd We bring yer gun fer to-night!"
he went on to say. I'VE can't kill no robins
when it's this cold, an at dusk, too"
II don't want any robins" Clay replied
Il got two geese coming down, and I'm liza
bic to get some night birds about this time :"
Night birds, haw! hawI" laughed Saul
What you need is a night cap an a wig"
Saul burst into second coarse roar of
laughter, which was cut short by the sudden
explosion of Clay's gun, as the ever alert boy
caught sight of large bird as it few across
the road just in front Of them.
1t was snap shot, and Clay feared that he
had missed; but as the smoke cleared, he was
surprised and elated to see the bird 1uttering
in the middle of the road.
He ran forward, followed leisurey by his
companion, and perceived that the bird was
an immense owl, and that his shot had wing
ed and partially stunned it,
He was too wise TO take hold Of it with his
bare fingers until he had completely disabled
it, so he placed a foot on each wing, and thus
held it firmly to the ground.
Then he examined it closely, for he quickly
recognized that it was a new species, one that
he had never seen before. The light wasfad-
ing, but he bent down and, without difficulty,
made out its distinguishing features
All at once the young ornithologist gave an
excited exclamation: Its great gray owlr'
do tell" said his companion, with mock
concern. "a great gray owl! WAL, wal,
who'd a. thought itF'
Clay said nothing. With eager eyes he
scanned the owl from beak to feet and tip of
tail He noted the great yellow eyes and
bill, the dark brown Of its back, notified with
grayish white, and the broken barred wings
and tail, with grayish white marbling. The
under parts were dark brown and pale gray,
and the great facial disc was marked with
dark brown and light gray rings concentric
with each eye, and below them was the
ragged white collar.
Clay had fully acquainted himself with the
characteristics of this rare member of the
owl family, and after his scrutiny he had no
y.