Page:Bird-lore Vol 06.djvu/218

 The Screech Owl t79

rodents. The value of ltis Soc hearing trees was ltul less than $2.0m. in this case would it not have been more economical lttr tlte owner to have encouraged llwls and other so—called birds of prey. that live largely on mice antl rahhlts. lo remain on ltis prcn ccdocca anally? it is prul-alily alact that Screech Owls rctnain tnaletl tinting life. and. as tltcy are nott-tttigratory

's.

even though a chicken miqu have to he sac

they once he-

come attaclted to a locality. they are apt to retttaitt tltere. unless they are ltarassctl atttl driven away or tlteir ltottte tree is destroyed. and tltey arc compelled to seelt another. itt which case tltey tlo not move atty great distance.

For this reason they are tlotthlyol value It! the agriculturist. as litu' are Itelpers Ill”- ing the entire year. Their prey, the mice. arc yearly tenants. and "re iamter will) is \Vi’ﬂ‘ will give the Screech Owl on h. acts. a perpetual trot- lease.

Another feature in the lile-h story oi the Scrcerll Ulvl. that makes it duuhly \’Jilt£|i)i!y is that it is nocturnal in s habits and htlnts for food at night when all the other birds are at rest. It thus complements the day work oi the rodent-eating I'latvks.aaNatttre in her wisdom thus providing a continuous check on the ionrdootcd vcnnin ot the grttttntl.

Although the Screech Owls arc nocturnal lw choice. yet they have no tlithculty ill see- ing in the daytime. although they then seem stupid and are not at all alert antl \VltltJ- awake as they are alter suntlmtll.

During the daytime they ltide in holes in trees. or in some set'lutletl plat-c 'n the full- age. to escape observation. Should they be discovered they are apt to he mobbed by other birds. especially jays. This fact must have been well known to tlle ancients. int Aris- totle recorded it over three centuries before the Christian lira. in the lttllowittg words: “The Noctuu. Cicuntm aml the rest. which cannot see by tlav. ulltain their foot! lty seek- ing it at night: and yet they do not do this all nigltt long. only at evetttide rtntl tlawtt. They hunt. moreover. mice. lilartls anti scttrpions. and small lteasts of the like kintl. All other birds tloclt round tlte Noctua. or. as men say. ‘atlmire.‘ and ﬂying at it hullet it. Wherefore this being its nature. towlers catch with it ntany antl tlitlerent kinds of tttle birds."

The Owls are sttppnsetl by many superstitious people to he birds of had omen; this probably arises in the cast: of the Screech Owl from its weirtl. trelnulous. shivering. wail- ing. whistling note. To the writer there is a singular and iaseinating attraction in its notes, which are heard in til: dusk ct early nightfall. especially when its shadowy lurm is noiselesst ﬂitting by like a huge nighlleing .noth. w h can only be seen as it Crosses a background of tast—tading wcslern light. the last taint beams ot a sun lar down hsloiv the horizon.

The humes or Owls may ottcn It: dist-overcrl train the pcllets oi undigested iood, hunts, tut. etc disgorged by the birds.

Whtlc tlte life-history of the Screech Owl family is interesting. yet their econolnit' status isthe important fact which needs with publicity. All st entitic writers and students at the load habits of this species oi Owl join ill prunounring it to he one of the most heneti- cial and least harmful of all ltirtls. in addition to the great nuntlter oi rutlcnls destroys. it also eat: enormous quantities ol no us insects. In the First Annual Report at the United States Entomological Colttmis 'on “377) it is statetl: "The injury by the Rocky Mountain locust to the agriculture, and. as a consequence. to the general welfare of the States antl Territories west at the Miss sippi. has been so great during the years thin-(s as to create a very general feeling among the pruplt that steps should be taken by Con- gress looking to a mitigation of an evil which ltatl assumed national importance," On p, “9 of the report it substantiates the above statement by actttal ﬁgures showing that itt the lour corn-growing states of Kansas. Nebraska. lutva antl l\ t ' “474. the loss hy locusts was “2,9423% bushels. with a money value. .1! st cents per linshcl, oi 540.000.000. An examination of tlte stotnaclt contents of eight Screech Owls (p. 4:. appendix ll) taken It that time in Nebraska disclosed the lact that they had eaten just