2,6: 



BowDisH, Birds of Porto Rico. f^"^ 



42. Gymnasio nudipes. Naked-footed Owl. — Occurs abundantly 

 about the coffee plantations near Mayaguez. The bird is said to bite the 

 coffee berries as they are ripening (the natives declare the birds eat them, 

 though I have never found traces of them in the stomachs examined), 

 and at this time the bird's notes are likened by the natives to a song of 

 coffee, coffee, coffee. It is said that considerable damage is done in tliis 

 way. 



At Mayaguez, May 16, 1901, I bought two young ones, about half- 

 grown, from a native lad and caged them in quite roomy quarters, 

 making photographs of them the next day. On the 21st I added an adult 

 female and a young one not over a third the size of the others. At this 

 time I was feeding them raw beef, serving each in turn, a piece being 

 held out to them on the end of a wire. They ate very readily, the adult 

 being the most conservative. My notes from this time run ; May 22. 

 Found adult had a broken leg and made an attempt at splintering it. 

 When the older ones are hungry they swallow the meat as soon as it is 

 handed out to them, but when not very hungry, they are inclined to seize 

 it in one claw and attempt to tear it with their beaks. They are very 

 bright. The little one ate a piece of meat this morning, but as jet I have 

 not seen the adult eat anything. May 25. Owls still remain bright. 

 Find they do not eat well during the day, so I place the meat in the cage 

 at night only. I feed the youngest, who takes meat readily off the end of 

 a wire but not from my fingers. He braces up and back as he sees the 

 meat approaching, as though frightened ; then, shutting his eyes, he 

 seizes it in a desperate fashion. While I am about the cage he keeps up 

 a sort of a low twittering, similar to the vesper peeping of young 

 chickens when brooded by the hen ; he also snaps his beak, and bites 

 when handled. I have heard the others make no other sound than snap- 

 ping the beak. Took some cockroaches to the owls this evening. Since 

 the last two were put in the cage I have not seen the first two come down 

 from the higher perches, but this evening all four were on the floor 

 where they had been feeding on beef, and were bright and fierce. May 

 27. Bought two more young owls, a little smaller than the first pair. 

 May 28. To-day I heard from the old one and from one of the young ones 

 a slight cry like that of the low guttural growl of a cat. May 29. To-day 

 while working near the cage I heard a sort of squeaking cry from one of 

 the owls. This evening when I went to feed them, I found one of the 

 last pair dead. The stomach, though empty, had evidently not long been 

 so, and though the condition of the bird was poor, it was perhaps no 

 more so than normally. June i. The remaining five owls seem to be 

 doing well, and the youngest grows remarkably fast. June 4. This p. m. 

 I found my adult owl dead. The leg had pretty well healed, but the 

 bone would hardly have knit properly. Stomach contained almost per- 

 fectly digested meat, and grit from the floor of the cage. The remaining 

 four appear bright. Am teaching the youngest to feed himself. He was 

 on the perch for the first time to-night. June 6. Took three more photo- 



