Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/443

Rh trees and such holes as they find about old buildings. When kept in con- finement, they feed freely on any kind of flesh, and will stand for hours in the same position, frequently resting on one leg, while the other is drawn close to the body. In this position I watched one on my drawing table for six hours.

This species is never found in the depth of the forests, but confines itself to the borders of the woods around large savannas or old abandoned fields overgrown with briars and rank grass, where its food, which consists principally of field-mice, moles, rats, and other small quadrupeds, is found in abundance, and where large beetles and bats fly in the morning and evening twilight. It seldom occurs at a great distance from the sea. I am not aware that it ever emits any cry or note, as other owls are wont to do ; but it produces a hollow hissing sound continued for minutes at a time, which has always reminded me of that given out by an oppossum when about to die by strangulation.

When on the ground, this Owl moves by sidelong leaps, with the body much inclined downwards. If wounded in the wing, it yet fre- quently escapes through the celerity of its motions. Its hearing is ex- tremely acute, and as it marks your approach, instead of throwing itself into an attitude of defence, as Hawks are wont to do, it instantly swells out its plumage, extends its wings and tail, hisses, and clacks its mandi- bles with force and rapidity. If seized in the hand, it bites and scratches, inflicting deep wounds with its bill and claws.

It is by no means correctto say that this Owl, or indeed any other, always swallows its prey entire : some which I have kept in confinement, have been seen tearing a young hare in pieces with their bills in the manner of hawks ; and mice, small rats, or bats, are the largest objects that I have seen them gobble up entire, and not always without difficulty. From having often observed their feet and legs covered with fresh earth, I am inclined to think that they may use them to scratch mice or moles out of their shallow burrows, a circumstance which connects them with the Burrowing Owls of our western plains, which like them have very long legs. In a room their flight is so noiseless that one is surprised to find them removed from one place to another without having heard the least sound. They disgorge their pellets with difficulty, although gene- rally at a single effbrt, but I did not observe that this action was per- formed at any regular period. I have mentioned these circumstances, to induce you to examine more pai'ticularly the habits of the Barn Owls of