^The Prairie Owl, 197 



the mother of the kitten already referred to as having found 

 a tomb in Coquimbo's maw: I held her close to the cage, 

 and as soon as the Owl saw her he became tremendously- 

 excited, more so than ever I had seen him before, made a 

 terrific noise, and spread out not only his wings but his tail, 

 as in the accompanying illustration; loudly, if not deeply, 

 protesting the while his entire innocence of the charge he 

 doubtless imagined was about to be preferred against him, 

 that is to say, of having caused the death of the youthful 

 offspring of the lady who then regarded him with two angry 

 eyes not very much unlike his own. 



So Coquimbo's portrait in the required attitude was taken 

 at last : his resistance reminding me of a picture I have some- 

 where seen, entitled, ''A Bashful Sitter", and representing a 

 group of policemen attempting to photograph a prisoner who 

 was violently objecting, and required at least six stalwart 

 ''bobbies" to hold him in position while the operator adjusted 

 his camera and sensitized plate. 



The fact is, I suppose, that my Prairie Owl is becoming 

 accustomed to us, and though he still swears when we go near 

 him, has given up trying to frighten us by spreading out his 

 wings, as he always did at first, when anyone approached his 

 cage; but the sight of a cat, to which he is not much used, 

 no doubt aroused his anger, or his fear, and caused him to 

 assume the position we desired, for it is scarcely reasonable 

 to suppose that he is really capable of any feeling of com- 

 punction for having made a meal off a kitten he had not even 

 killed. 



I have a difficulty in providing my Owl with suitable food: 

 beetles I find he does not care much about; fowls' heads and 

 necks, the only parts my wife can spare him, he decidedly 

 objects to: sheep's liver he will only condescend to taste when 

 very hungry indeed; and of cats' meat he is not particularly 

 fond, though he will eat it when he cannot find anything 

 else: the supply of young Pigeons, Sparrows and kittens is 



