By permission of the author.
THE FARMER'S FRIEND.
We all know from pictures what owls look like, though we do not often
see them. Their wise faces, with large, solemn eyes, are familiar to
every one of us. Why do we see these birds so seldom?
The owl flies at night, and at all times he is a shy bird. He likes a
quiet home and does not wish to be disturbed.
As for himself, he makes no noise. He is like a cat, not only in his
face and in his taste for mice, but in his quiet ways. His broad wings
are fringed with the softest down, so that they move with as little
sound as a feather fan. The owl is a large bird, but his wings never
make the sharp whirr of a pigeon's flight.
The barn owl builds his nest not far from the farmyard. He catches the
mice arid rats in the barn and feeds on many harmful beetles and moths.
The number of mice he catches for his little ones in a single night is
sometimes very large. He is said to bring to his nest four or five of
his hapless victims every hour.
Pennsylvania once offered a premium for killing hawks and owls, not
knowing how much good they do. Before long the state was overrun with
little rodents, and many valuable crops were destroyed.
No bird is more devoted to her little ones than the mother owl.
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