I 08 Bolt.es, Barred Owls in Captivity. [April 



The Owls made the journey back to the mountains with perfect 

 composure. On being returned to their piano-box cage they 

 promptly sought their respective corners, and showed in many 

 ways their recognition of old surroundings. This power of mem- 

 ory was even more strongly shown on their arrival in Cambridge 

 in October, 1889, when Fluffy flew across the cellar in search of 

 a favorite perch which had been removed, and the absence of 

 which caused him to end his flight in an ignominious tumble. 



On my arrival at Chocorua I began to keep systematic account 

 of all birds seen each day, making careful allowance for birds 

 seen twice in the same day. Between July 6 and Oct. 14, I rec- 

 ognized 9,782 birds, representing 95 species. On nearly half the 

 days in this period Puffy was my companion on my walks and 

 rides. At first it was not easy to induce him to leave his cage 

 and accompany me, but after a few lessons he consented to step 

 from his perch upon the short pine stick on which I used to 

 carry him, and to remain clinging to it while I walked or ran, 

 scrambled over ledges, or forced my w r ay through thickets and 

 brambles. He went more than once to the heights of Chocorua ; 

 passed hours travelling through dark woods and high pastures ; 

 or perched resignedly on the sharp prow of my Rushton boat,, 

 watching dragon-flies skimming the surface of the lake, and 

 his own image reflected in the water. In the woods if I held him 

 too near a tempting log or projecting branch he would hop off. 

 Sometimes he would weary of my walking, and, jumping to the 

 ground, would scurry away to cover and snap his beak angrily if 

 I poked his perch in towards him and told him to ' k get on." As 

 the summer wore on he grew more and more obedient and less 

 inclined to nip my fingers on the sly as he had a way of doing 

 when I first carried him about. This winter I have trained 

 Flufty to step up beside his mate and submit to being carried 

 around the house on a perch. 



Whenever on my summer walks I came to a spot which I 

 wished to 'sample' for its birds, I would place Pufl'y on a bending 

 sapling, and hiding in the neighboring foliage, I would 'squeak' 

 by drawing in my breath over the hack of my hand, and at- 

 tract the attention of any birds which were near by. Usually in 

 the deep woods the first comer was a Red-eyed Vireo, Chickadee, 

 Hermit Thrush, or Oven-bird ; but whichever it chanced to be, 

 an alarm was almost sure to be given that would bring birds 



