Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-10

cup and lip" Then the owl snaps his beak
again, this time in disgust over his failure 10
catch his prey. The screech owl will some
times take up his abode in deserted barn. If
he finds the doors or windows boarded up, the
wise owl wiggles through hole under the
caves and will take up quarters there until all
the mice have taken the narrow downhill trail
into the owls stomach.
An occasional insect on the side is also
relished by the screech owl. To procure these
the great staring eyes Of the owl are put to
their greatest test, because insects are hidden
away much of their time in a forest of grasses.
However, the sage little owl has taken the
advantage Of q modern invention. and when
bevy Of June bugs congregate about brilliant
electric light by country roadside the cunning
owl sits hard by. When q sufficient quantity
in his estimation have gathered there he dives
among them, snatches o bug retires to . leafy
branch close at hand and eats his prize dis
carding the wings. I have seen the ground
below the limb where an owl has been feasting
Uttered with the scaIelike wings of dismantled
June bugs
WHAT an enormous appetite a stag beetle
W must have, for we see him devouring lo-
Gust as large as himself, not little larger.
II his best friend happened along it's a safe bet
he wouldn't even share joint with him and n
locust joint is as substantial as a dry twig, at
that. On the whole, the stag beetles bill-of-
fare is dry as chip. There cannot be any
thing so very luscious about locust. You viii
note how firmly he has his great mandibles,
or pinchers, fastened TO 1t. He Is determined
there win be no slip betwixt cup and lip in his
case. Then again, he might have found the
locust IN defunct state. which would not make
a whit Of difference to the beetle.
When the stag beetle is not wandering aim
lessly about On terra flrma he is proving
around beneath the bark Of some ancient oak
that is giving up the ghost after several hum
dred years Of producing bumper crops Of acorns.
This beetle bores into the decayed wood. 1t no
doubt likes the taste Of decaying wood and
win partake Of a light lunch Of the crumbling
tree and think it fne eating.
There's one thing certain: The stag beetle
Is anything but pleasant to look upon; those
great pinchers are formidable looking weapons,
to say the least Thanks to Dame Nature, q
stag beetle was not turned out the size Of q
hippopotamus, with Q set of mandibles in pro-
portion and an appetite constantly whetted to
the keenest edge. II such were the case, q
beetle would be able to snip on q monkeys tail
as IL it were merely . grass stem. People
would have TO shake leg when one hove in
sight If they wished 10 keep them attached to
their bodies
WHEN it comes to cleanliness, it is quite
w certain q raccoon takes the cake He
Scrubs ana washes every paIIcle Oh AOoO G1AC
he eats until it is thoroughly clean. In cap
tivity the coon has hard time Of 1t. for he
has no clear running water, and his allowance
of water contained in q dish Of some sort
becomes muddy. Poor Mr.. Coon industriously
washes his food, only TO find, after a long
siege Of scrubbing, that 1t is just as dirty in
the end as when he began. But In his wild
state 1t is different; he has the clear running
brook to wash his food spick-and-span. If
cornfield happens to border a swamp where he
lives, he will take a nocturnal stroll -mong the
stalks pick out fine, fat ear, strip it from the
stalk and trot down to the brook with 1t. Even
if the ear be spotless after husks have been
removed, he takes no chances. but dabbles it
into the brook until he is quite sure it can be
no. cleaner.
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