ell in the day time. He can see
best, however, in the twilight, in cloudy weather or moonlight. That
is the way with your cat.

The wing feathers of the owl are different from those of most birds.
They are as soft as down. This is why you cannot hear him when he
flies. Owls while perching are almost always found in quiet places
where they will not be disturbed.

Did you ever hear the voice of an owl in the night? If you never have,
you cannot imagine how dreary it sounds. He surely is "The Bird of the
Night."

[Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences. SNOWY OWL.]

BIRDS AND FARMERS.

_From the Forest and Stream._

The advocates of protection for our small birds present two sets of
reasons for preventing their killing; the one sentimental, and the
other economic.

The sentimental reasons are the ones most often urged; they are also
of a kind to appeal with especial force to those whose responsibility
for the destruction of the birds is greatest. The women and girls, for
whose adornment birds' plumage is chiefly used, think little and know
less about the services which birds perform for agriculture, and
indeed it may be doubted whether the sight of a bunch of feathers or a
stuffed bird's skin suggests to them any thought of the life that
those feathers once represented. But when the wearers are reminded
that there was such a life; that it was cheery and beautiful, and that
it was cut short merely that their apparel might be adorned, they are
quick to recognize that bird destruction involves a wrong, and are
ready to do their part toward ending it by refusing to wear plumage.

The small boy who pursues little birds from the standpoint of the
hunter in quest of his game, feels only the ardor of pursuit. His
whole mind is concentrated on that and the hunter's selfishness, the
desire of possession, fills his heart. Ignorance and thoughtlessness
destroy the birds.

Every one knows in a general way that birds render most valuable
service to the farmer, but although these services have long been
recognized in the laws standing on the statute books of the
various states, it is only within a few years that any systematic
investigations have been undertaken to determine just what such
services are, to measure them with some approach to accuracy, to weigh
in the case of each species the good and the evil done, and so to
strike a balance in favor of the bird or against it. The inquiries
carried on by the Agri