Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-05-13
The Horned Owls Nest,

Work had been going ON all day in the
sugar bush; the sap had been gathered
and drawn to the boiling place. until
there remained hut u few scattering
trees to be visited near the swamp. The
boy was softly whistlmg 10 himself
when rabbit. with easy. graceful
bounds. crossed the road but few PAGES
ahead of him and stopped by the side of
birch bush to nihble the tender buds.
Just then startling sound came UP
from the swamp.
Why did the rabbit pause in his dainty
meal and squat in his very tracks uuul
his form more nearly reSemhled foot
print in the snow than Il living mammal:
fhe chattering red squirrel dropped into
the crotch of Il tree and ceased 10 chat
Ter as the ominouS and almost super
natural ou-hoo-hoo-wo-h0oo' sound
ed through the dismal 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 al
ways heard that this owl was Il veritahle
Nero among the featherer race. As vet
he had never discovered the nest of tie
great horned owl 1t was now the first
week in March OF late lie had heard
the weird call frequently from the
swamp, causing him to believe the birds
were nesting there. and he fully deter
mined To make Il search for that nest
The next day was spent in "A fruitle,S
search, aud it perpleXed the boy. for
often he had located the nest of the
bobolink and meadow lark--ueStS that
are not easily found,
But the second days search ended.
about noon, in rather an interesting man
uer The boy stopped for lunch aud Il
little rest under hpmluck that Ire 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 il was in after the storms
Of winter, he assembled the tree. The
nest was between fifty aud sixty feet from
the ground Just imagine the boy 5 surprise
wien about thirty feet from the nest
to see n Great Horned Owl silently glide
off and wing its way through the tree
tops. Ii WAS Il revelation upon reach
ing 1t. to find that the Great Horned
Owl had really used the old crows nest
which had the appearance of being
slightly remOdeled. and was sparscly
lined with evergreen leaves ana feath-
erS. In the nest were three white eggs,
about the size of Il bantam's. The boy
afterward learned that the usual mum
Der of eggs deposited 10y the Great
Horned owl Is two. and that sometimes
the bird constructs nest for itself in a
hollow tree or an evergreen.
On the first day of April there were
two little owls in the nest. and day
later third appeared. They were
queer-oolling little birds, seeming to he
nearly all head aud eyes and their bod
les were covered with the softrSt of
down.
The young birds grew very slowly, al
though the remains Of fish. mice.
squirrels. rabbits aud 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 com
pared with most of our birds-mAny
young birds leaving the nest in from
twelve to fifteen days, and the wood
cock bob-Whitr and ruHlcl grouse IN
about as many hours.-St. Nicholas.