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Practicai, Bird-Kkeping. 



food should be cut up into little bits as they are not very good at 

 tearing their prey to pieces, and I have found it best to cut open 

 Sparrows and mice. They are passionately fond of mealworms, 

 and when flying about a room will take them from the fingers 

 while hardly pausing in their flight, in fact, the Scops is one of 

 the most delightful bird-pets imaginable. Several of these small 

 Owls, however, are rather delicate and require a little artificial 

 heat in winter. 



I am afraid I have already exceeded my legitimate space, 

 but I can heartily recommend any of the birds of prey as most 

 delightful pets ; with few exceptions {e.g. the Harriers) they 

 will become exceedingly tame, and as they have only to be fed 

 once a day they are essentially birds which one can feed oneself 

 and thus get into personal touch with them in a manner not so 

 easy with smaller species, whose food is always at hand. How- 

 ever tame they get, it is always as well to remember that they 

 have sharp claws, and as when thoroughly tame they often 

 'strike' in play, it is best to wear thick gloves when handling 

 them. 



