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About The Bonneville Dam chronicle. (Bonneville, Or.) 1934-1939 | View Entire Issue (April 24, 1936)
I l&lI»AV, Al'ltll. -¿i j H K n O N X K V l M K l> A M C H K Q>_l r i. K TEN .......................................UHM......................111,11,11,11111.............. -«s J m w jj ■ i ' I ? », ■\1 ••V. v JH Waiting for Nightfall and a Meal of Mice, P r e p a r e d by N a tio n a l G eo g ra p h ic Society. W a sh in g to n , D. C.— \N NU Service. ! ■ 1 t 1 *> it / -• 'HE evening air of early spring in the Everglades of southern Florida is soft and mild. Delicate scents from blos soms come with the breeze, togeth er with the voices of myriad frogs in incessant but attractive chorus from the marshes. Suddenly, from the moss-festooned live oaks in this peaceful background, comes an outburst of demoniacal laughter, guttural in sound and startling in Us abruptness. E’laying the beam of light from an electric torch through the branches, you discover presently two glowing spots of ruby red, re flections from a pair of eyes. As your own eyes adjust themselves to the feeble illumination, you can dis tinguisi) dimly the shadowy form of a great barred owl. The hubbub stops immediately, for the bird is puzzled by the spot of light; but as you continue along the trail the owl, now behind you, utters a loud, prolonged whoo-oo-oo-aw that re sounds eerily among the trees. Un til daybreak you hear at intervals the wild ululation of its calls tilling the darkened woodland. The voices of owls are more familiar than their persons, as must of them are active principally at night, and without special search the birds themselves are difficult to see. Their presence, unseen but constantly evident, has caused imagination to play about them until in practically every country in the world there have grown up fables and superstitions regarding owls. The little owl of Europe, about as large as the American screech owl without the ear tufts of that species, has long been an emblem of wisdom, and in early years was accepted as a special ward of Pal las Athene of the Greeks. Romans, to whom this goddess became Minerva, did not retain this rever ence for the bird, considering it of evil omen and a messenger of bad news. Death was foretold by owls alighting on the housetops, and their calls nearby at night aroused fear and foreboding. He Only Looks Wise. The vogue of the owl as an em blern of wisdom Is not due to any special intelligence of the bird, but to the conformation of the head. with two eyes so placed that they look directly ahead like those of man. . As the companion of night-flying witches, or as one of the Ingredient«» in tiie brews concocted by these trouble-makers, the owl developed a black and unsavory reputation, attested by many references to its evil omen in Shakespeare and other writers. Among American Indians, owls, though feared at times, were In better repute and were the basis of various lively legends. Zunl tales Include stories of one called “gray owl’- that lived In a house as a man does. Tiie Pima Indians held that at death the human spirit passed Into the body of an owl and. to assist In this transmigration, they gave owl feathers, kept for the purpose in a special box, to a dying person. a that in flight tiie birds move with out sound, as If they were shadows, in owls, the lower leg. or tarsus, and upper surfaces of the toes, bare I d most birds, are covered with feathers, these being reduced or ab sent only In a few species that inhabit warm countries. The plum age colors run usually to grav. brown and huff, with lighter mark ings of butr and gray. White and black are extensive In some, hot brighter colors are rare or absent Some of the smaller owls have round markings on tiie back of the head, resembling eyes. In S..uth America the country people tell you these birds have four eyes. Thej can see behind as well as ahead. The eyes of tiie owl are fixed so Immovably In tiie head, where both are directed forward, that the bird must change the position of the head to alter its line of vision. The> are especially large and are adapt ed for vision where there Is llttl* light. A boy was once told that an owl, sitting on a perch, would fol low with its eye a person moving around and around It. until eventu ally its head would twist off. Opportunity arose to test out this intriguing theory on a Florida screech owl perched in a low pin«* The boy walked around the owl for some time with Its eyes steadily on him. As its head did not fall off the boy was completely myst:- fied, but later, at a somewhnt ma ture age. In other experiments of this kind, he detected the quick movement hy which the owl snaps its head around rapidly, giving tiie semblance of continuous motion In one direction. Though the majority of owls re main hidden in shaded, secluded places by day. there are a few th it are abroad by day or hy night In differently. This is true of the snow owl, which lives in summer through the long Arctic day. and of the burrowing owls of open country in the new world. The lat ter delights In resting In the sun. and in broad daytime detects nn<- watches hawks and other birds fly ing at such great heights that one can barely see them. Among the Plains Indians, the Ankara included an owl group as one of their eight mystic societies, and in the sacred rites of this body they used the stuffed skin of an owl with disks of cunningly fitted buffalo horn for eyes. This em blem was displayed during their ceremonies to represent night, the eyes being symbolic of the morning star. Owls are found throughout the world from the Arctic regions through the continents and to re mote islands In the sea. More than 300 kinds are known, ranging in size from the tiny elf owls. n> larger than sparrows, to the pnwe- ful horned owls and eagle owls, which are two feet or more In length. Scientifically, all owls are includ ed in one order, the Strigiformes. in which two families are reeo* nized. one for the barn owls (Tv tonidue) and the other (Strigidae) for all other species. Regardless of their size, owls are instantly identified by their broad faces with prominent disks of feathers about the eyes, coupled with sharp, curved beaks and daws, and long, fluffy feathers. Their nearest relatives are the whip poorwills, nighthawks, and goat What They Eat. suckers. Owls live mostly on animal food Formerly it was thought that owls were allied to hawks and falcons, which is captured alive, except that but on careful study it was found occasionally they feed upon rabbits that these two groups differ radi freshly killed by automobiles along cally in structure. The resemblances our highways, or upon other car are superficial and are due to the casses. Mice, rats, and other small form of the beak and claws, which mammals are regular prey, as are have undergone similar develop birds of various species. ment from seeking the same kinds Tiie barred owl eats many cray of foods. fish and fish, while crabs and fish are staple foods of the fish owls of Other Birds Dislike Them. Most owls are nocturnal and by Africa and India, which have feath day sleep In caves, hollow trees, erless legs and rough, horny-sur tangles of leaves, or whatever may faced toes to assist in capturing offer protection. When they are such slippery prey. Horned owls found by other birds there is high have been known to capture goldfish excitement, jays, cardinals, and the in ornamental pools, but this Is un like gathering to scold and chatter usual. at these enemies of the night. Crows Owls, like hawks, tear their prey are more aggressive and often drive apart and swallow the pieces eri the largest owls to seek more se tire. During digestion the flesh Is cure cover where they may avoid assimilated, while bones, fur, feath their cawing black tormentors. ers, and other Indigestible portions The homes of owls are located In are formed into compact pellets hollows of trees, caverns in rocks, which are regurgitated to leave the or in stick nests built by hawks, stomach empty for another meal crows, or other birds. Often nc Such pellets accumulate about nesting material of any kind Is roosts and, through Identification o' used. The eggs are white, occa the bones contained, give a valuable sionally tinted with buff or pale index to the food of the bird con blue, but without markings, and cerned. are peculiar in being usually ellip The great horned owls and snow* tical or nearly round. The youn- owls are fiercely predatory, killin ' are covered with white down and rabbits, squirrels, and other creo- remain in the nest under care of tures of good size. The former tiie parents for a considerable time. has been known to capture and eat In defense of their young, owls small owls. In tiie Dominican Re are often aggressive and swoop at public was seen a burrowing owl any and all who chance to pass tearing at the body of a young bird sometimes with startling effect of its own kind which had been when the attack Is delivered with killed and thrown aside by some out warning. A scientist climbing natives. to the nest of a great horned owl Occasionally wild mlce increase once was struck so savagely In the for various reasons until they form back by one of the parents that the a veritable plague. Under such cir strong talons of the bird drew blood / n n ? 8 Sh0rteam l "Wl. gather through the heavy clothing he wore. i in n T abundance and aid In reducing Their Plumage Is Soft he numbers of the pests Burrow ng owls feed extensively „„ All owls have soft plumage com beetles and other large insects nn” posed of long, fluffy feathers. The the barn owl in California destroys wings have softened margins, so many Jerusalem crickets. * Through je a n new ton A WOMAN’S EYES llllll LAUGHTER IS NOT ENOUGH ... .................................................................................. .. HUNTER college English pro feasor say» that our greate«! need today Is for a satirist to luugb away eon temporary trouble* "What tiie times need,” we are told. “Is an Addison or a Mnllere before win#** keen and Ironic mock ery. our futile follies will melt away like mist before a freshen ing wind.” The professor mention* two nil thors who are indeed famed for II lumlnatlng with thp cold light of «atire the weakness and follies of their time and country. Rut he d<>«-s not say that the sa t irists cured those faults of their time, or that the faults “melted \ awuy llke m isi“ tM ! .. hop#e J day* follie* wonld if belg suttteient lu tight cr. **• There eun he no douht -elise ut humor is n - .»in* any tlnie, and that ah..v» «l^ alile tu Ini!gii ut mi --«Hv«a ^ J m»»si promising sigi , t ,,/ j .-».-li fhe Inughi.-r of \D'>rknj* always help lo put t hi riga i„ piare, to strengihen «ur asm va lue. II! other word*. I l . ! ter belp* to l»ear follie* and f i ulta. Itili for thè more r. - ? roetlve u| l--.fi of overeoti.ing t »e ùu| more. \\> need thè uni*r«aa3 Ihat la aotnetlme* r! ,c,,.r |0 , J than laughter. \Ve n . p a t* and—love. C M»Ji s r a d ic a * « — w m itm * BEDTIME STORY fè&JBy THORNTON W. BURGESS' . . ■ • a little movement of the bru A beautiful head was slowly thqgl roNDKKFULLY handsome was out and Ughtfoot gjz*-<l into i pel Lightfoot tiie I*»-er as he stood of soft eye* which he w.t» mr* ««I In the little o|*ening hy the pond of the most beautiful eye* la «11 tk| I'addy the Reaver, ids head thrown Great World. B t «'-ndered If *be would 6 mf | back proudly ns he received the congratulations of his neighbor* of pear and run away as *hc had un the Green Forest who had seen him last time be saw her He tookJ I *• best’fsl win the great fight with the big - fep or two forward head was withdrawn l4lgbtf«nl stranger who had come down from •he Great Mountain. To beautiful heart san k ; then he li-uoM ■ He m | Miss Daintyfoot. peeping out from ward Into rite | | a thicket where site had hidden to than half exj*ected to find 00 Ittl there, but when he ’»-red tUCI • •st ew| >c ' derful surprise In all his life. There stood Miss DalOtjrfOO^M Id. bashful. hut with a !< k io lei eyes which Lightfoot c<- d not Sll take. In that Instant Llg* tfoo; w| derstood the meaning <>f that NM - lug which had kept him h>mtln(ff| her. and of the rage whirl I n ! him when he had di*cnvwl| \ \ '••M»nc# of tiie big »trU0t| from the Great Mountain. It /jf ç love. Lightfoot knew that he kwd| if Ç MU* Daintyfoot. and looking Ml r-r »..ft gentle eye-, he -new tu | Miss Daintyfoot loved him. « T W B u r im - W W I to te K ‘r »-2i LIGHTFOOT DISCOVERS LOVE U $ He Wondered If She Would Disap pear and Run Away. watch the great fight, Lightfoot was the most wonderful person In all the Great World. She adored him. which means that she loved him just as much as It was possible for her to love. Rut Lightfoot didn't know tills. In fact he didn’t know that Miss Daintyfoot was there. Ills one thought had been to drive out of the Green Forest the big stranger who had come down from the Great Mountain, lie hail been jealous of that big stranger, though he hadn’t known that lie was jealous. The real cause of Ids anger and desire to fight had been fear that tiie big stranger would find Miss Daintyfoot and take her away. Of course this was nothing but jealousy. Now that the great light was over and he knew that the big stranger was hurrying back to the Great -Mountain, all Lightfoot** Ilflger melted away. In |f„ place was a great longing, a longing to find Miss Daintyfoot. Ilia great eyes became once more soft and beautiful, m 'hero WUH a look of wlstfulness. -ightfoot walked down to the edge of the water and drank, for he was very, very thirsty. Then he turned Intending t0 once more take up his root<h ^ b**Utlful Mli* Dainty When he turned he faced the Gdcket |n which Miss Daintyfoot "u s hiding, u is keen e jes caught zMy ^eighboi ▼ Says: * Always use * metal Instead of*] woollen s{K>on when cutting •*] folding eggs Into a cake. * * * i To clean reed furniture tsk« * 0«t of doors when the son 1» *,r* turn the garden hose on It snd It dry thoroughly before taking - Into the house. Tills remove* d u st • • • To propagate daphne lay the trill ing branches In tiie spring, iiiakiad an Incision In the under |»urt stern. Riant cut part two incM* under loom and keep moist. tot’ ting may be separated next * * * The sirup left over from » c*D*jj peaches or a glass of preset straw berries heated and added t| a package of gelatin Instead of®* hot water one usually adds to **| solve gelatin changes a rather notonous dessert Into n dellC‘#*, | one. G A noc U i «»] Wwwipwpwrs.—WNU S«rd®* H ereditary “I’m sorry, but 1 can do not for you aa your ctiuipl»*0* ** redltary. My fee Is glU.” “Good I bend the bill t° cestors.”