IIO Bolles, Barred Owls in Captivity. [^-Pnl 



appearance from rough-feathered and sleepy content to an 

 astonishing resemblance to an old moss-grown stump. He ef- 

 fected the transformation by standing up very straight, nearly 

 closing his eyes, and making his feathers lie absolutely sleek 

 against his attenuated body. Once on another occasion when 

 he ran away from me, he climbed to the top of a small oak 

 stump and made himself look so like a continuation of it that I 

 passed him four times without detecting his presence. Not so 

 the Pileated, for with a shrieking cackle, his crest gleaming in 

 the sunlight, he flew at the Owl so savagely that I expected to 

 see my pet slain on the spot. He only ruffled Pufty's feathers, 

 however, and made the poor bird unhappy for some time by 

 his discordant cries and frequent flights and counter flights. 



Of the Thrushes, the Robins took the Owl most to heart. 

 More than once in black cherry time I have seen sixty to a 

 hundred of them within twenty-five feet of him. Their blended 

 cries always drew Hermits and Swainsons from the woods, 

 Cedarbirds from their cherry feasts, and detachments of Warblers 

 from woods and meadows. The Veeries seemed to care least 

 about their enemy ; the Hermits said little, but did some hard 

 thinking. The Swainsons, especially after sunset, had a good 

 deal to say in a refined way, flirting wings and tail meanwhile. 

 The numerous Catbirds and occasional Thrashers were coarsely 

 abusive. Through it all Puffy made no remarks, and seldom 

 stirred ; he found out long ago that he could not catch birds. 



The ubiquitous Red-eyed Vireo never wearied of staring at 

 Puffy, and firing at him his suspicious, expostulating 'cree' ! By 

 roadside and meadow, upland pasture, and in the deeps of the 

 beeches, the Red-eye was always present. Even in the haunts 

 of the Juncos and White-throated Sparrows on the high ledges 

 of Chocorua he was not absent. My count of birds in July 

 showed him to be inferior in numbers only to the Barn Swallow, 

 the Cedarbird, and the Robin. Far less numerous, but a leader 

 among the haters of the Owl, was the Blue-headed Vireo. I had 

 seen little of the bird in previous seasons, but Puffy seemed to 

 draw one or more of them from every considerable area visited. 

 Their scolding reminded me of an angry June-bug in a bottle. 



As a rule the Sparrows cared little for the Owl. Purple 

 Finches would come and look him over, the female making 

 a sweet little note of inquisitive protest, and then go away. 



