194 FROM BLOMIDON TO SMOKY. 



rested upon the stump. Following the direction 

 of his steady gaze, I saw a fine specimen of his 

 race in the dark forest. He was as rigid as 

 Puffy. How long they would have glared at 

 each other I cannot tell, for it began to rain, 

 and the stranger flew away. 



The hearing of all species of owls known to 

 me is marvelously keen ; so keen in fact that I 

 know of no way of testing it, since it is so much 

 more acute than that of man. If ow^ls have the 

 sense of smell, I am unable to find satisfactory 

 evidence of it. I have tried various experiments 

 with them, hoping to prove thaj; they could smell, 

 but the results are all negative. They dislike 

 putrid meat, but they bite it to ascertain its con- 

 dition. They will not eat toads or frogs which 

 yield an unpleasant odor, but they did not reject 

 these species until they had tested them by tast- 

 ing. They may be ever so hungry, yet they do 

 not suspect the presence of food if it is carefully 

 covered so that they cannot see it. This test I 

 have applied with the utmost care to the great- 

 horned, snowy, and barred owls. The latter are 

 shrewd enough to learn my ways of hiding their 

 food, and when they suspect its presence they 

 will search in the places where I have previously 

 hidden it, pouncing upon pieces of wrapping- 

 paper, and poking under feathers and excelsior 

 with amusing cunning. I tested them with the 



