Evening star., 1946-09-21
This and That
BY Charles Z. Trdeepell.

Two sounds In the night bring up
memories-the call Of an owl and the
vail Of q foghoFn.
Out our way We will not hear the
latter, but an owl ID 4 common oe-
currence. although not too often to be
interestins
The other night suddenly, W don't
know what time 1t was, there was q
sudden vail, almost as II q cat had
been caught, or q rabbit seiSed, and
then came four give-away hoots.
There was no mistaking it-an owl
was out there, looking for food, and
it sounded for all the world a. II he
had caught it.
The next morning We looked care
fully, but there were no signs, and all
the neighboGhood cats were around.
After all, cat is a rare prize for an
owl, even the largest.
We decided that the first cry had
been part of the owl lingo.
Waking in the night to hear such
= cry, gives one . sort Of mental start.
Most owl sounds are unpleasant. yet
interesting.
The hoot owl makes a very good
sort OF noise, but the one We prefer
10 the screeeh owl.
He laughs ~ II demon were loose,
but harmless one
No doubt in 4 year he takes hun
dreds Of mice. In this way he supple
ments the hawks by day.
He also takes insects, probably q fact
little known to the average gardener.
1t Is nice to think Of him at work
In the dark, doing what comes naturally
to these prime enemies Of man.
Few birds have had their food habits
studied more carefully. Dr.. A. K Fisher
made elaborate surveys, and any one
who wants to hnd out about what owls
eat are referred to his works.
OF the screech owl he wrote: 1.-The lit
tie screech owl is well known through
out the greater part of the United
States With the exception Of the bur-
rowing owl, 1t feeds more extensively
on insects than any Of the other owls.
1T Is diligent mouser. and feeds
more or less on crawf1sh, frogs, toads.
scorpions, lizards and fish. OF 245
stomachs examined, birds were found
in Is per cent.
Among insects, grasshoppers, crickets,
beetles and cutworms are most often
| eaten. AS many as so grasshoppers
have been found in one stomch, 10 May
beetles in another and IL cutvorms
in q third.
During the warmer parts Of the
| year it Is exceptional to find stomach
that is not well Allied with insect re-
| mains. Meadow mice, white footed mice
| and house mice are the mammals most
| often taken. while chipmwks, wood
| rats, flying sqirrels and nfoles are less
frequently found.
| THE screech owl is fond OF fish, and
catches many, especially in winter. when
it watches near the bieathing holes on
the ice, and selzes the luckless fish
which comes to the surface.
| Most Of the birds destroyed by this
owl are killed either in severe winter
weather or during the breeding season.
when IL Ia hard work to feed It's young
| AS nearly three-fourths Of the owls
food consists Of injurious mammals and
insects, and only about one-seventh OF
birds u large proportion Of which are
destructive English sparrows) there Ii
no question that this owl should be
carefully protected"
We could wish that DR.. Fisher had
not said that about the sparrows Spar
| rows no more like 10 be taken" by OWL
than other birds.
What was the owl We heard7 Prob
ably . great horned owl the real "hoot
owl" the hootingest owl Of them al
He often begins With yelp something
like that OF . dog, or catiike sound
This Ia a big one, feet long, with q
wing spread Of 90 inches. The screech
owl on the other wing. Is little fellow
10 inches long with wings spanning only
~ inches.