Evening star., 1948-08-11
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Trace,peH

Times of great killing. such as World Wars
and II, teach men nothing, evidently.
Here was a man who wanted to know II an
Arctic owl could be not so many miles from
Washington at this time of year.
We said 1t could.
Then III tell my friend to shoot it." he said.
We tried to remind him that shooting settles
nothing, but he wouldn't listen
Some days later, he came in again.
Did your friend shoot the big snowy owl?'
we asked.
Yes" he said. enthusiastically. land do you
know whst? That owl already had broken
wing! That was the reason he was still here. y
Owls are nocturnal doing at night the work
the hawks do during the day.
Between them, they help keep down rodents
snakes and Others, and only a few OF them
need be shot by mankind.
1t is true that now and then hawk and also
an owl, will get a chicken.
Usually birds of prey are not quite so bad as
the irritated householder is likely to think
If left alone, in most cases they migrate to
another section.
In eating owls swallow the prey whole, If
they can. This is their favorite way OF con-
sumption, fur, bones and all.
Then what happens?
That is the question one wants to know and
it is interesting that famous Government scien-
fists wanted to know 1t first
They discovered that the inner workings OF
the owl stomach really are marvellous.
Do you know what happens to all that fur
and the bones after an owl swallows meal
entire?
The stomach rolls them together into the
form of pellets, and these are disgorged by the
bird.
1t was by studying these pellets at the base of
tree in which an owl nested that the scientists
were able to find out just exactly what an owl
eats.
These findings showed beyond dispute that
most of our owls, particularly the smaller ones,
are beneficial to mankind. BY cleaning up on
rodents the owls do us a real service.
Some of our owls have ears" which help give
their heads very human appearance.
few of them do not have these ears. The
white or Arctic owl does not have them.
The eyes of our owls look in the same drec-
ton at once so that if the bird wants to look
to one side. it must turn the head
Facial discs, as they are called. made OF
specialized feathers. surround the evil eye.
All owls, are divided into two groups. These
are the barn owls and another group in which
come the familiar screech owl, barred owls, and
others.
Owls capture their prey with their feet.
Some of them see very we'll in the daytime
contrary to popular opinion.
The appetite of owls has been tested many
times
One expermenter fed young barn owl eight
mice. one after the other which 1t swallowed
whole. as usual
There was not room for the entire ninth
mouse, so the tail hung out Of the owls bill
for an hour!
But that was not the payoh In three hours
the owl was ready for another meal, and ate
four more mice.
| In the old days when barn owls nested in
the towe- of the Smithsonian Institution. zoe
| pellets from pair of the owls were examined
In the pellets we're remains indicating 454
| skulls, llc.uGing 225 meadow mice, pine
mice. 119 house mice. 20 rats, jumping mice
| 20 shye.,s. Star-nosed mole and l vespel
sparrow.
| Just how far afield from the Mall the owl:
| went was not known.
| The same investigator examined the stomachs
| of 90 long -eared owls, and found in them moth
| ing but small mammals.
| Scientists point out that the great snowy ow
| is capable of doing great good by destroying
! noxious mammals
1T is lamentabe fact" said one investi-
| gator, that this useful bird is slaughtered
whenever 1t appears within our limits"