1 04 Bolles, Barred Owls in Captivity. [Aptii 



feet foremost into the water and with almost unerring aim lanced 

 the victims with their talons and flew out with them. Then the 

 head was crushed at its junction with the back bone, the spines 

 were bitten into jelly, and the fish was swallowed. I have seen 

 half a dozen small hornpout caught, disarmed, and swallowed by 

 them in a comparatively short time. Generally all the fish in the 

 tank were caught and killed before any were eaten. Live frogs 

 called for more agility than live fish. When placed on the bottom 

 of the cage or in the water tank, the frogs seemed to realize their 

 danger, and as a rule remained motionless. The Owls would 

 hang their great heads towards them, and eye them intently. 

 The faintest sign of life would lead to a pounce or a desperate 

 chase round the cage. When caught, the frog was subjected to a 

 careful overhauling. Every joint was felt and crushed. As 

 they slid the slippery legs through their beaks they seemed to be 

 searching for spurs or horns which might prevent easy swallow- 

 ing. Once found spurless, the frog soon vanished. The wood 

 frog seems to be their favorite species, and the leopard frog the 

 least well flavored. Once Puffy caught a toad in the grass, 

 but the creature apparently tasted so unpleasant that it was 

 quickly dropped, while for several minutes the Owl hopped about 

 shaking his head and making motions with his mouth expressive 

 of disgust or even pain. A small salamander was eaten without 

 hesitation. 



Once, when unusually hungry, the Owls devoured more than a 

 pint of large, fat earthworms, taking them from my fingers, or 

 picking them up singly with their claws with wonderful dex- 

 terity. A plump slug was taken readily by Puffy, but almost 

 instantly flung from his mouth with disgust. Fresh water mus- 

 sels, abundant in Chocorua Lake, were taken with some hesita- 

 tion and, I fancied, made Puffy miserable. 



Flies, harvest flies, dragon flies, grasshoppers, and beetles of 

 various kinds all proved enjoyable tidbits. But of snakes and 

 turtles the Owls stood in terror during the summer of 1SS8. The 

 appearance of either led the birds to make desperate efforts to 

 escape between the upper slats of their cage. What was my sur- 

 prise then, in the summer of 1SS9, to find that so far as snakes 

 were concerned, timidity was changed to curiosity, and curiosity 7 

 quickly transformed into an eager desire to catch, kill, and swal- 

 low. Even a dead milk snake, three feet long and fat, was eaten 



