Audubon's Birds/BIRDSVER1_3.BIN/dp/0005/00055.txt

Text File | 1992-08-27 | 10KB | 170 lines

$Unique_ID{BRD00055}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{The Barred Owl}
$Subject{Striginae; Syrnium; Strix; Nebulosum; varia; Barred Owl}
$Journal{Birds of America:  Volume I}
$Volume{Vol. 1:132-135}
$Family{Striginae}
$Genus{Syrnium; Strix}
$Species{Nebulosum; varia}
$Common_Name{Barred Owl}
$Log{
Plate XXXVI*00055p1.scf
Family*00041.txt
Genus*00053.txt
}

       Portions copyright (c) Creative Multimedia Corp., 1990-91, 1992

                       B I R D S   O F   A M E R I C A .

                    By John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.

                   ------------------------------------------
                                    VOL. I.
                        --------------------------------


                                THE BARRED OWL.
                                 [Barred Owl.]


                            SYRNIUM NEBULOSUM, Linn.
                                 [Strix varia.]


                              PLATE XXXVI.--MALE.


     Should you, kind reader, visit the noble forests of the lower parts of the
State of Louisiana, about the middle of October, when nature, on the eve of
preparing for approaching night, permits useful dews to fall and rest on every
plant, with the view of reviving its leaves, its fruits, or its lingering
blossoms ere the return of morn; when every night-insect rises on buzzing wings
from the ground, and the fire-fly, amidst thousands of other species, appears as
if purposely to guide their motions through the sombre atmosphere; when numerous
reptiles and quadrupeds commence their nocturnal prowlings, and the fair moon,
empress of the night, rises peacefully on the distant horizon, shooting her
silvery rays over the heavens and the earth, moving slowly and majestically
along; when the husbandman, just returned to his home, after the labours of the
day, is receiving the cheering gratulations of his family, and the wholesome
repast is about to be spread out;--it is at this moment, kind reader, that your
ear would suddenly be struck by the discordant screams of the Barred Owl.  Its
whah, whah, whah, whah-aa is uttered loudly, and in so strange and ludicrous a
manner, that I should not be surprised were you to compare these sounds to the
affected bursts of laughter which you may have heard from some of the
fashionable members of our own species.
     How often, when snugly settled under the boughs of my temporary encampment,
and preparing to roast a venison steak or the body of a squirrel, have I been
saluted with the exulting bursts of this nightly disturber of the peace, that,
had it not been for him, would have prevailed around me, as well as in my lonely
retreat!  How often have I seen this nocturnal marauder alight within a few
yards of me, expose his whole body to the glare of my fire, and eye me in such a
curious manner that, had it been reasonable to do so, I would gladly have
invited him to walk in and join me in my repast, that I might have enjoyed the
pleasure of forming a better acquaintance with him.  The liveliness of his
motions, joined to their oddness, have often made me think that his society
would be at least as agreeable as that of many of the buffoons we meet with in
the world.
     Such persons as conclude, when looking upon Owls in the glare of day, that
they are, as they then appear, extremely dull, are greatly mistaken.
     The Barred Owl is found in all those parts of the United States which I
have visited, and is a constant resident.  In Louisiana it seems to be more
abundant than in any other state.  It is almost impossible to travel eight or
ten miles in any of the retired woods there, without seeing several of them even
in broad day; and, at the approach of night, their cries are heard proceeding
from every part of the forest around the plantations.  Should the weather be
lowering, and indicative of the approach of rain, their cries are so multiplied
during the day, and especially in the evening, and they respond to each other in
tones so strange, that one might imagine some extraordinary fete about to take
place among them.  On approaching one of them, its gesticulations are seen to be
of a very extraordinary nature.  The position of the bird, which is generally
erect, is immediately changed.  It lowers its head and inclines its body, to
watch the motions of the person beneath, throws forward the lateral feathers of
its head, which thus has the appearance of being surrounded by a broad rut,
looks towards him as if half blind, and moves its head to and fro in so
extraordinary a manner, as almost to induce a person to fancy that part
dislocated from the body.  It follows all the motions of the intruder with its
eyes; and should it suspect any treacherous intentions, flies off to a short
distance, alighting with its back to the person, and immediately turning about
with a single jump, to recommence its scrutiny.  In this manner, the Barred Owl
may be followed to a considerable distance, if not shot at, for to halloo after
it does not seem to frighten it much.  But if shot at and missed, it moves to a
considerable distance, after which its whah-whah-whah is uttered with
considerable pomposity.  This Owl will answer the imitation of its own sounds,
and is frequently decoyed by this means.
     The flight of these Owls is smooth, light, noiseless, and capable of being
greatly protracted.  Once, whilst descending the Ohio, not far from the
well-known Cave-in-rock, about two hours before sunset, in the month of
November, I saw a Barred Owl teased by several Crows, and chased from the tree
in which it was.  On leaving the tree, it gradually rose in the air, in the
manner of a Hawk, and at length attained so great a height that our party lost
sight of it.  It acted, I thought, as if it had lost itself, now and then
describing small circles, and flapping its wings quickly, then flying in zig-zag
lines.  This being so uncommon an occurrence, I noted it down at the time.  I
felt anxious to see the bird return towards the earth, but it did not make its
appearance again.  So very lightly do they fly, that I have frequently
discovered one passing over me, and only a few yards distant, by first seeing
its shadow on the ground, during clear moon-light nights, when not the faintest
rustling of its wings could be heard.
     Their power of sight during the day seems to be rather of an equivocal
character, as I once saw one alight on the back of a cow, which it left so
suddenly afterwards, when the cow moved, as to prove to me that it had mistaken
the object on which it had perched for something else.  At other times, I have
observed that the approach of the grey squirrel intimidated them if one of these
animals accidentally jumped on a branch close to them, although the Owl destroys
a number of them during the twilight.
     The Barred Owl is a great destroyer of poultry, particularly of chickens
when half-grown.  It also secures mice, young hares, rabbits, and many species
of small birds, but is especially fond of a kind of frog of a brown colour, very
common in the woods of Louisiana.  I have heard it asserted that this bird
catches fish, but never having seen it do so, and never having found any portion
of fish in its stomach, I cannot vouch for the truth of the report.
     About the middle of March, these Owls begin to lay their eggs.  This they
usually do in the hollows of trees, on the dust of the decomposed wood.  At
other times they take possession of the old nest of a Crow or a Red-tailed Hawk.
In all these situations I have found their eggs and young.  The eggs are of a
globular form, pure white, with a smooth shell, and are from four to six in
number.  So far as I have been able to ascertain, they rear only one brood in a
season.  The young, like those of all other Owls, are at first covered with a
downy substance, some of which is seen intermixed with and protruding from the
feathers, some weeks after the bird is nearly fledged.  They are fed by the
parents for a long time, standing perched, and emitting a hissing noise in lieu
of a call.  This noise