Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1895 — A Maligned Bird. [ARTICLE]

A Maligned Bird.

Often in the evening, an hour or sc after sunset, the outdoor naturalist may hear from the shade of a thick hemlock, or from a grove in some ravine, a prolonged, quavering note. Though tinged wiill .mehincliory, it is soft and musical, and it is; indeed, as Lowell says, one of the sweetest sounds in nature. And yet 11 1 is Js the ch ar; ict er. • istic note of the bird, vyh'ieli has gained, foe reasons unknown to me. the unpleasant name of “sereeCh-owI.” This pretty little owl. perhaps the prettiest of the family, is but slightly longer than a robin, but looks much larger on account of the fluffy feathen and large head. It is louiul in tern■perate North Amerrca. and is jquitt commori*ih most of the Eastern States. Generally it lives in the woods, but il is fond also of frequenting barns, old orchards, and groves near the water. It is very courageous, and can kill -other birds as large as itself; but usually it preys on mice and grasshopper. Its mousing abilities' are so wonderful it has been aptly named “the feathered cat”; and its great yellow eyes, ear-like tufts, and nightprowling habits all unite to make the name suitable. The soft call already described ii teally the love-note of this 'owl. It is its gong just <as* much as the prolonged chantings of any of oui common birds are their songs; and it will be heard oftenest in the early ipring, although it is not unusual for this owl to sing nearly the whole year round. Here, then, we have in this little owl an example of bravery, industry, and cheerfulness; and these qualities are shown by the very bird of all others that is least credited with them; for, if names and reputations are to count for anything, surely the very last bird to which we would look for an example bf-courage and merriment would be an owl, and above all, a screech-owl.— Ernest E. Thomnson. in St. Nicholas.