y
cuddled up, lay two little fluffy white baby owls--young hoot owls. As
it takes about four weeks for incubation, and these babies were fully a
week old, nesting must have begun at least in the middle of December.
Much depends on the winter; this one having been very mild. In fact, I
have noticed that birds are quite accurate weather prophets, were we
only skilled enough to read their predictions. But it is always safe, I
find, to be early in the field. And now came our first disappointment.
It was impossible to secure a picture of the nest and baby owls, owing
to the unfavorable position of the tree and nest; so, taking a farewell
look at the place, we returned, hoping for better luck next time.

[Illustration: NEST AND EGGS OF SCREECH OWL.]

The following week we were out and at it again, and were more fortunate
in that we discovered the home of another owl, similar in shape, but
smaller, and differently marked. This was the barred owl, so called
because of its markings. Here, again, the nest was up quite a ways, and
difficult to get to. After much trouble we cut down a small tree and
hoisted it into the larger tree so that it came near the hole where the
nest was. This enabled me to get above the nest, so that I could swing
down to the hole by a rope and get a view of the nest and contents.
After many attempts I succeeded in snapping two or three negatives, one
of which turned out fairly good and accompanies this article. Every
move I made while taking the pictures was punctuated by hoots of anger
and disgust by the mother owl, who had flown to a nearby tree, until
she aroused the attention of some ever-observant crows; then she had
all she could do taking care of herself and getting rid of her
tormentors. If ever a free matinee in birdland was billed, it occurred
that afternoon.

The weeks now slowly passed without further success. One must have
patience, much patience, in birdland. It may take years to secure what
will prove satisfactory views of some species. Many snaps, when taken,
prove undesirable after development, and each week adds to the
uncertainty of finding anything "at home" when next you come. While the
percentage of successful incubation is fairly large, yet the numerous
enemies of the feathered tribe make the uncertainty of life in birdland
quite noticeable.

[Illustration: BABY SCREECH OWLS.]

The time was now ripe for us to turn our attention to the little
screech owls; a small but interesti