Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-04
THE GREAT HORNED OWL.
A Boys Search for Nest of the Pirate
Bird,

From St Nicholas
Work had been going on all day in the
sugar bush; the sap had been gathered ana
drawn to the boiling place. until there re-
manned but few scattering trees to be WIS.,
tied near the swamp. The boy was softly
whistling to himself, when a rabbit with
easy, graceful bounds crossed the road but
a few PAGES ahead of him and stopped by
the side of birch bush to nibble the ten
der buds. Just then startling sound came
from the swamp.
Why did the rabbit pause In his dainty
meal and squat in his very tracks until his
form more nearly resembled footprint in
the snow than living mammal? The chat
tering red squirrel dropped into the crotch
of a tree and ceased to chatter, as the
omnous and almost supernatural WHO'D
hoo-hoo- wo-hoo" sounded through the dis
NAL swamp and echoed through the maple
grove. This was the hunting call of the
great horned OWL
The actions of the rabbit and squirrel did
not surprise the boy, who had always heard
that this owl was veritable Nero among
the feathered race. AS yet he had never
discovered the nest Of the great horned
owl. 1t was now the first week in March.
OF late he had heard the weird call fire.
quently from the swamp, causing him to be-
lieve the birds were nesting there, and he
fully determined to make a search for that
nest.
The next day was spent in fruitless
search, and 1t perplexed the boy, for often
he had located the nests of the bobolink and
meadow lark-nests that are not easily
found.
But the second days search ended, about
noon, in rather an interesting manner. The
boy stopped for lunch and little rest un-
der hemlock that he knew well, for, the
spring before, pair of crows had nest in
the tree. The old nest was still there, and,
just to see what condition it was in after
the storms of winter, he assembled the tree.
The nest was between fifty and sixty feet
from the ground Just imagine the boys
surprise when about thirty feet from the
nest to see great horned owl silently glide
off and wing Its way through the tree tops.
1t was revelation, upon reaching it, to
find that the great horned owl had really
used the old crows nest which had the APP
pearance of being slightly remodeled and
was sparsely lined with evergreen leaves
and feathers. In the nest were three white
eggs, about the size of a bantam5s. The
boy afterward learned that the usual num-
Der Of eggs deposited by the great horned
owl is two. and that sometimes the bird
constructs a nest for itself in hollow tree
or an evergreen.
On the first day of April there were two
little owls in the nest and day later
little birds, seeming to be nearly all lie ad
and eyes, and their bodies were covered
with the softest of down.
The young birds grew very slowly. al
though the remains of fish, mice, squirrels,
rabbits and birds of various kinds furnished
abundant evidence that the old birds were
lavish in supplying food. They remained in
the nest for about eleven weeks. which Is
long compared with most Of our birds
many young birds leaving the nest in from
twelve to- fifteen days. and the woodcock.
bob-white and ruffed grouse in about as
many hours.