beat, and he may have hoped in his heart that 
the wire would never break. But something 
more to be dreaded than this disturbed his rest 
night after night. When far off in the pinc 
woods an old horned owl would hoot, the one 
in the cage sometimes answered. ““Whoo, hoo 
—hoo—hoo—whod00, whoo0o,’’ would come the 
deep voice that sent terror to the heart of every 
bird that heard it. Sometimes this calling back 
and forth would go on for many munutes. 
Now and then the big owl out in the woods 
would come and light on the big live-oak and 
the crow would crouch among the fig leaves 
and shiver. 
If the owl in the cage thought anything 
about it, he must have known that he was 
frightening Jim Crow almost out of his skin; but 
probably he was only thinking of how he would 
like to be out and flying about catching frogs, . 
rabbits, mice, and other things that he felt it 
was his right to catch. 
Many pet crows have learned to say a few 
words, and Howard took no end of joy in 
teaching Jim Crow, who could soon croak out 
135 
