New Britain herald., 1929-11-29

II was late November Only the evergreen trees and q few of the oak trees had any leaves left on them. The other trees were bare. Most Of the birds had flown away to the Sunny South. Striped Chip munk, Johnny Mouse and some of the other little people like old Mr. Tcad, Grandfather Frog and the snakes and the Turtles had gone 10 bed for the winter
 Hooty the Owl. who would rcmain ir the Green Forest all winter. was not as fat as he had been. Hunting vas not so good now. IL was not so easy to find a meal whenever he was hungry. So he spent more time hunting. H" had 10. Every night just after jolly, round, red Mr. Sun went 10 bed behind the Purple Hills. Hooty would perch on tn" top Of Il certain tall, dead tree. Sitting uu- right, he looked in the dusk 10 be a part of the tree. That tree was real ly his wachtower. That's what |, ftttH, Ills NdlCn tower,
 Now, when Hooty is hunting ha uses both ears and eyes. H" trusts first to his ears and then to his cyea From the top of that Watchtowcr he will suddenly hoot All the little people of the Green Forest and tue Green Meadows know that sound. Even thoUgh they do their best to keep from it. they are very likely 10 Shiver and shake: at. least. q little lt IS a fierce sound, hungry sound. The instant he has hooted. Hooty listens His ears are very wonderful They are not those two tufts of feathers standing above his heal which look like ears and are called ears, his ears are on the sides of his head an1 the opening to each ear IS very. very large. You do not see those ears. for they are covered with skin and feathers.
 So wonderful are those ears that Hooty can hear the faintest rustic Of dead leaf. even at some dis tancc, or the faintest scratch of toenail. So when he hoots, he lis tens for some slight sound made by some little fucred or feathered per son who has been startled by his voice. The instant he hears a rustic. or the sound Of a claw, he glidcs forward on those great wings of his. which carry him without any sound al all. They carry him surprisingly fast, too. IIc flies low and in sec ond from the time he has left his watch tower he is right over the spot from which came that faint sound. IL is then that he makes full use of those wonderful eyes of his.
 EOoty's eyes were made for se9- ing when there is very little light. As long as there is q wee bit Of light HOoty can sec and he can sec surprisingly well. So if there is the least movement by the one he is hunting, he is sure to see it. Then those great claws of his strike and flooty has his dinner This is the way that Hooty hunts. Mostly he hunts for mice. but almost anything that is small enough for him to kill is worth catching from Hooty's point of view.
 Now, hunting had been very. very poor for some time. Hooty had be- gun to think that he and Mrs. Hooty must have caught all the mice Of the Green Forest. It ccr- tainly seemed to him that it was a long time since he had had enough to eat at one time. So now, as ne Sat on the top Of his watch tower and hootcd, he listened with more than usual care. He had no intention O. missing any chance that might offer 10 catch something 10 eat,
 Copyright, 1929, T. W. Eurgcss)
 The next story: "Hooty Strikes Hard"