There seems to be a great demand for birds and animals for ornamenting rooms and hallways just now. The most popular, and now the greatest rage, is stuffed owls. There are five varieties, but the favorite is the common screech owl, not because they are the cheapest, but are called so "cute" by the ladies, that they cannot resist buying them. These owls are carried to New York from several states — New Jersey and Connecticut furnish a good many. Farmers' boys capture them alive, or kill them and sell their bodies for twenty-five or fifty cents. They are mounted usually with their wings folded, as they appear when sitting on the branch of a tree. Sometimes they are mounted on a crescent, but most usually on a twig or small branch. Then again two or them are mounted together — a male and a female. The feathers of the male are gray and those of the female are a brownish red. The screech owl ranges in height from six to nine inches, and retail at $3.50 apiece. The meadow owl has a very large, round head, and is a trifle larger than the screech owl. They sell at retail, when mounted, for $6.00. The bard owl, which is very much like the meadow owl, only a trifle larger, is also a native bird. A good specimen properly mounted will readily sell for $10 to $12.
August 26, 1884. Atlanta Week Constitution 17(n.a.): 8.