I think the owl
has learned to distinguish me from the rest of the passers-by;
at least, when I stop before him, and he sees himself observed,
he backs down into his den, as I have said, in a very amusing manner.
Whether bluebirds, nut-hatches, and chickadees --birds that pass the
night in cavities of trees--ever run into the clutches of the dozing
owl, I should be glad to know. My impression is, however, that they
seek out smaller cavities. An old willow by the roadside blew down one
summer, and a decayed branch broke open, revealing a brood of
half-fledged owls, and many feathers and quills of bluebirds, orioles,
and other songsters, showing plainly enough why all birds fear and
berate the owl.
The English house sparrows, that are so rapidly increasing among us,
and that must add greatly to the food supply of the owls and other
birds of prey, seek to baffle their enemies by roosting in the densest
evergreens they can find, in the arbor-vit?, and in hemlock hedges.
Soft-winged as the owl is, he cannot steal in upon such a retreat
without giving them warning.
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