BARRED OWLS IN CAPTIVITY^. 119 



consented to step from his perch upon the short 

 pme stick on which I used to carry him, and to 

 remain clinging- to it while I walked or ran, 

 scrambled over ledges, or forced my way through 

 thickets and brambles. He went more than once 

 to the heights of Chocorua ; passed hours trav- 

 eling through dark woods and high pastures ; or 

 perched resignedly on the sharp prow of my Rush- 

 ton boat, watching dragon-flies skimming the 

 surface of the lake, and his own image reflected 

 in the water. In the woods, if I held him too 

 near a tempting log or projecting branch, he 

 would hop off. Sometimes he would weary of 

 my walking, and, jumping to the ground, would 

 scurry away to cover and snap his beak angrily 

 if I poked his perch in towards him and told him 

 to " get on." As the summer wore on he grew 

 more and more obedient and less inclined to nip 

 my fingers on the sly as he had a way of doing 

 when I first carried him about. This winter I 

 have trained Fluffy to step up beside his mate and 

 submit to being carried around the house on a 

 perch. 



Whenever on my summer walks I came to 

 a spot which I wished to " sample " for its birds, I 

 would place Puffy on a bending sapling, and, 

 hiding in the neighboring foliage, I would 

 " squeak " by drawing in my breath over the back 

 of my hand, to attract the attention of any birds 



