436 BUBO MAXIMUS. 



son to touch its head, although not without attempting 

 to bite. It seemed to have a greater dislike to women 

 and children than to men, although it saluted all in- 

 discriminately with hisses. On remaining some hours 

 in a room with it, I found it quite reconciled to my 

 presence ; and three times, while I was painting its por- 

 trait, it flew from its perch and alighted on the table 

 before me. 



When it observed an object which it thought it 

 might capture, a cat for example, or a small bird, it 

 stood erect on its toes, drew its fea|;hers close, stretched 

 out its neck, raised its tufts, and fixed its eyes so 

 steadfastly on it, that it no longer heeded your pre- 

 sence, and could not be diverted even by pushing it 

 with a stick. When sleeping, it also kept its feathers 

 close, its neck erect, the tufts generally raised. At 

 this time, when its body seemed scarcely thicker than 

 its neck, it presented a complete contrast to the great 

 ball of feathers which it displayed when irritated. 



It generally perched on the highest place it could 

 find, and preferred the top of a box, the back of a chair, 

 or other similar stand, into which it inserted behind 

 the tips of the claws of the first and fourth toes, those 

 of the second and third being directed forwards and 

 similarly bent. On a flat surface, however, the fourth 

 or outer toe was not reverted, but directed outwards, 

 and the claws were stretched out. It sometimes 

 stood on one foot, and on a sufficiently broad place ge- 

 nerally rested the whole tarsus. It seemed incapable 

 of walking, and when it moved from one place to 

 another, it was by leaping with the aid of its wings. 

 On a carpet, however, it found difficulty even in this. 



