From the story ''The Owls in the Family'' written by the author Ruskin Bond .
1. Where are the two owlets found? How did they happen to be there ?
2. How did the mother owl attack the narrater and his grandfather? Why?
3. How did she apologise for her behaviour?
4. What did grandfather and the narrater do to avoid displeasing the owlets?
5. How did the owlets enjoy the bath ?
Answers
Answer:
One morning we found a full-fledged baby spotted Owlet on the ground by the verandah steps. When the Grandfather picked it up, it hissed and clacked its bill, but, after a meal of raw meat and water, settled down for the day under my bed.
The spotted owlet, even when full grown, is only the size of myna, and has none of the sinister appearance of the larger owls. A pair of them may often be found in an old mango or tamarind tree, and by tapping on the tree trunk you may able to persuade the bird to show an inquiring face at the entrance to its hole. The bird is not normally afraid of man, nor is it strictly a night-bird; but it prefers to stay at home during the day, as it is sometimes attacked by other birds, who consider all owls as their enemies.
The little owlet was quite happy under my bed. The following day a second owlet was found in almost the same place on the verandah, and only then did we realize that where the rainwater pipe emerged through the roof, there was a rough sort of nest, from which the birds had fallen. We took the second young owl to join the first, and fed them both. When I went to the bed they were on the ledge just inside the mosquito netting, and later in the night their mother found them there. From outside she crooned and gurgled for a long time, and in the morning I found that she had left a mouse with its tail tucked through the mosquito net! Obviously she placed no reliance on me as a foster-parent.
The young birds thrive and, ten days later at dawn, Grandfather and I took them into the garden to release them. I had placed on on a branch of the mango tree, and was stooping to pick up the other, when I received quite a heavy blow on the back of my head. A second or two later, the mother owl swooped at Grandfather, but he was agile enough to duck out of this way. Quickly I placed the second owl under the mango tree. Then from a safe distance we watched the mother fly down and lead her offspring into the long grass at the edge of the garden.
We thought she would take her family household; but next morning, on coming out of my room, I found two young owls standing on the wall just outside the door! I ran to tell Grandfather, and when we came back we found the mother sitting on the bird-bath ten yards away. She was evidently feeling sorry for her behavior the previous day, because she greeted us with soft ‘whoo-whoo’.
“Now there’s an unselfish mother for you!” said Grandfather. “It’s obvious she’d like them to have a good home. And they’re probably getting a bit too big for her to manage”.
So the two owlets became regular members of our household, and, strangely enough, were among the few pets that Grandmother took a liking too. She objected to all snakes, most monkeys, and some crows, but she took quite a fancy to the owls, and frequently fed them on spaghetti .They seemed quite fond of spaghetti. In fact, the owls became so attached to the Grandmother that they began to show affection towards anyone in petticoat, including Aunt Mabel, who was terrified of them. She would run shrieking from the room every time one of the birds sidled up to her in a friendly manner.
Forgetful of the fact that Grandfather and I had reared them, the owls would sometimes swell their feathers and snap at anyone in trousers. To avoid displeasing them, Grandfather wore a petticoat at feeding time. This mild form of transvestism appeared to satisfy them. I Compromised by wearing an apron.
In response to Grandmother’s voice, the owlets would make sounds as gentle and soothing as the purring of a cat; but when wild owls were around, ours would rend the night with blood-curdling shrieks .There nightly occupation was catching beetles, with which the kitchen quarters were infested at the time. With their sharp eyes and powerful beaks they were excellent pest destroyers.
The owls loved to sit and splash in shallow-dish, especially if cold water was poured over them from a jug at the same time. They would get thoroughly wet, jump out on the perch, shake themselves, and then return for a second splash and sometimes a third. During the day they dozed I large cages under the trees in the garden. They needed cages for protection against attacks from wild birds. At night they had the freedom of the house, where exercised their wings as much as they liked. Superstitious folk, who dread the cry of the owl, may be interested to know that—mice expected—there were no untoward deaths in the house during the owls’ residence.
Looking back on those owlish days, I carry in mind a picture of Grandmother with a contented look in her rocking chair. Once, on entering her room while she was having an afternoon nap, I saw that one of the owls had crawled up her pillow till its head was snuggled under her ear. Both Grandmother and the little owl were snoring.
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