BARRED OWLS IN CAPTIVITY. 



Chocorua is one of the boldest, most pictur- 

 esque, and at the same time one of the most south- 

 erly of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 

 At its southern foot are several small lakes fed by 

 its streams. The chief of these streams is called 

 Chocorua River, and its main lake Chocorua 

 Lake. North of this water, fringing the river 

 for half a mile, is a growth of yellow birch, 

 beech, and hemlock of considerable age and 

 size. The dainty parula is frequently seen in 

 its gray moss. Cooper's hawks, red-shouldered 

 hawks, and yellow-breasted woodpeckers are com- 

 mon tenants of its shades. On June 1, 1888, 

 while nest-hunting in its midst, 1 saw a barred 

 owl sitting on the edge of a cavity in a beech. 

 The tree was a giant. The cavity was about 

 thirty-five feet from the ground, on the south- 

 westerly side, and quite large. The owl did 

 not move^ even after I threw a stick at her. 

 Convinced that the cavity was worth exploring, 

 I went home and returned with a friend, a lad- 

 der, and a gun. As a result two old birds were 

 shot, and two young ones taken from the nest. 



