192 Birds I Have Kept 



to *'dive into one of the burrows, heedless of prior occupants", 

 which certainly would point to some intellectual deficiency 

 on the part of a bird that appears to be, if it is not, very 

 wise. 



Do Owls always swallow mice whole? Mr. "Wood says so; 

 but Coquimbo does not, at least my Coquimbo does not, he 

 eats the head first, and then the body; but the latter portion 

 of the animal, if not very hungry, he hides away in a corner 

 of his cage for a future meal; but possibly he never does feel 

 right hungry now, and in his wild state may swallow his 

 prey entire in his haste to gratify the cravings of his appetite. 



The female among the Owls, as happens also among the 

 diurnal birds of prey, is nearly always larger, sometimes con- 

 siderably so, than her mate; but whether this holds good with 

 respect to Madame Coquimbo, I am not in a position to say, 

 nor is the fact alluded to by any writer on ornithology to 

 whose works I have at present access. 



''If all had their rights", remarks the same author from 

 whose account of this bird I have already freely quoted, ''it 

 would seem that the (burrowing) Owl is nearly as much au 

 intruder as the snake, and that it only takes possession of the 

 burrow excavated by the prairie dog in order to save itself 

 the trouble of making a subterranean abode for itself. Indeed 

 there are some parts of the country where the Owl is per 

 force obliged to be its own workman, and in default of con- 

 venient 'dog' burrows, is fain to employ its own claws and 

 bill in excavating a home for itself." 



Well, if it is laziness that prompts the Burrowing Owl to 

 force its company upon the much enduring prairie dog, such 

 conduct on its part cannot be too highly reprehended; but 

 when I look at Coquimbo's feet, it strikes me that they are 

 not exactly adapted for digging: that is to say, they are not 

 just the feet you would expect to find on a burrowing bird, 

 for the toes are short, and the nails not immoderately long, 

 while the legs are so decidedly tall for the size of their owner, 



