TALES OF THE WILDERNESS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 11110, 6 May 1911, Page 6

TALES OF THE WILDERNESS.

KOUKOU, THE OWL , , (Br Will Lawson.v (All Eights Keserved.) Beneath the strong;light of the moon the calm waters of the harbour shono like silver. On every'side stood tho sentinel hills, some studded or lined with lights, where tho city slumbered stirring uneasily as a sleeper who dreams. But tho bush-clad slopes of the eastern hills ■were black as night with nover a point of light to break tho gloom. Here dwelt Koukou, the Morepork, tho small brown owl. . Awakening from his day-time lethargy at the setting of the sun, he had first sought a meal. A belated sparrow and bcmo largo moths and other insects had taken- tho edge from his appetite, and now' he sent his .mournful, cry ringing 'through' tho still .night .air. Sitting on tho bare bough; of a black birch,, Koukou scorned to be the only thing in all the bush that was not asleep. On soft silent wings he sailed over to a taller tree and again his sad cry, that is nevertheless sweet in its tones, sobbed out across the bush and sea. Thero camo an answer at last, from afar it breathed like the voice of Koukou with' tin; toft pedalVdowu. It was tho voice' of the brown owl' 3 mate. Back and foi-tU they sent their loving calls, Koukou every now and then taking a short flight towards her. When ho found her she was sitting on a bough, close against the trunk of the tree. • Koukou alighted as 'silently as a ghost upon tho extreme end t)f the bough. With great eyes shining and beak half opened tlie hen bird hissed at -him, whereupon Koukou began to make strange noises in his throat, now high. in pitch, now .low and always discordant. A queer little figure he made/ His colour was brown, spotted with light brown a-nd/ changing, to a redder brown op the lower portions of his body, and on tho feathers on. his legs/ His wings •were about eight. inches long and his huge eyes were bright yellow and glowed lin the dim /light. -His strong curved 'beak relieved tho flatness of his face. Koukoii's head feathers rose on end till they formed a. crest,' his wings drooped about his logs. Still making strange ■noises he' strutted along 'the bough ■ towards his heart's desire. At his approach slio hissed more loudly and retieated even further into the shadow of the tree.: Half-way along, Koukou stopped ■and strutted back again as. though ho had changed his mind about tho affair. Thereupon, tho other bird catne islowly towards him. But when Koukou j turned about and with a short run ap- ' pioached again, she half-turned and with 'much dignity retreated, bridling and hissi'ing. And then again, with great coquetMishness. she turned and followed when ' Koukou. turned. Such grimaces they ' made, such queer sounds and struthngs! iJSflr an hour the game continued, all the i while the birds drawing nearer together. ■'Quite suddenly they ceased their play and flew away together, their velvet wings-making no sound; only their dark 'forms skimming along in the moonlight and shadows told of their coming,, and ■such birds as saw the pass snuggled closer into their retreats. In a clear space a tiny form hurried across tho grass,, running from cover to cover. Koukou's bright eyes saw the mouse; the next instant the Squeaking creature was :in tho'strong talons, and. the owl's beak ppeadily'ended-its-career. Atone gulp the: morsel was swallowed, bones, skin, and all, .and the night-birds continued their prowl. All-their prey was swallowed in this wholesale manner... Towards morning ■ Koukou > and his mate would cough up a pellet composed of the indigestible portions of their food. In this arrangement tho • owl's internal economy is far in advance of many other carnivorous animals.

When:the time arrived , -for nesting, the owls selected the hollow stump of a broken bough, that projected from the great trunk of a dying forest-giant. Into this they .carried straw and leaves and a few feathers, working, of course, at night, and while his mate laid hor snowwhite eggs and sat'out her share of : the process of incubation, Koukou guarded very jealously the neighbourhood of their neat. In doing this he had at least one strange adventure. V«ry early one moming, wheu the dawn was just. showing above the hills, and while the bush was still in the deepest shadow, a man passing thaj: ,way\.cnnie upon Koukou' sitting ' :in thoughtful attitude upon'a'tree stump.' 'The man. who was a naturalist, desired Ho study the habits of the owl. But Kou-> (km!presented this; .With.deliberation tho jbird'attacked; swooping'.at tho intruder's. ifnce,bht never touching him, though his-"wings-brushed very close.' .'After ' each swoop",Koukou returned to .the) treestump.,: Presently the.' man walked iaway, ' Koukou following . aud occa■Bionally sweeping close about his ,I'acc.'.'•'•■And all the time the light was (growing stronger. Perhaps, tho coming of the day confused Koukou,. and caused ■him-to continue to blindly attack. Whenj ;at last, he became aware, that tho night : /had gone, he was far from tho nest, and (could 'not see his way back to' it. Tho-' Jarge-pupils of'his eyes tried to contract to iocusing-point, but; their structure (prevented them doing so. Consequently Koukou flapped heavily and unsteadily, towards the ; shadow of tho bush, hitting, loneo'a, projecting tree-limb, and finally l Teaching the shelter of a fern tree. Herohe rested, blinking and shrinking in , the .strong light, and hero presently a cheer-' 'ful tui ? : found him. .At r onco the, alarm '.cry rang out; the signal , 'that'every, bush [bird knows. -■ To Koukou's shelter gathered such a concourse of noisy birds, great 'and small. They, rushed at him ns though ■they wmld-slay him;: but never a beak touched him. It was all a bluff intended to shatter the nerve of Koukou. Blindly hi struck at them with his beak; they evaded every lunge ho made, and by moral suasion forced , him to leave his shelter'and erratically endeavour to reach la safer haven. As he flew they swarmed [Jibout him-like a feathered cloud. Crashling into supplejacks, tumbling against [branches, Koukou cut a poor figure in ■the .brawl. AH day long, from time ■ to ■time, ho was routed out and publicly disgraced. Xet each '.lay has its end. As jthe shadow lengthened and tho sun went idown the world siram out of.tho haze of flight that had hidden it from Koukou's (eyes all day. Before the light had quite jgone -lie rose'on silent" wings and'swept ■away to a tree. where a. colony of sparrows were finally settling f,or the night. The owl came among them and slew for ■ the lust of it, eating only a'little. Then me took e. sparrow in his talons and sned . homeward, carrying it to his waiting mate, and,in course of time he led young owlets to the huiif, ieaching them how to strike silently aiid become tho defitroyer—the terror of tho forests—and to ;call "more-pork" across the silent bush /slopes, when the night laid her mantle tho hills and harbour, and the dis,tant city slumbered and dreamed beneaHi its galazy o f lights that challenged tho inoon and stars.