THE GREAT HORNED OWL 305 



the owl fastened to his back, and sought refuge 

 behind my brother. The latter threw his coat over 

 him and twisted the owl's neck. Both claws were 

 fastened in the back of the dog, causing injuries 

 from which he died two or three days later. 



A great horned owl weighs between five and 

 seven pounds, according to its condition, and this 

 one had tackled an animal about six times its 

 weight. 



One evening while we were living at Trinity 

 Bay, a great horned owl dashed through one of 

 the windows of our house and dropped on the 

 floor, having injured one of its wings on the shat- 

 tered glass. The size of the pane was 16 x 14. 

 I chanced to be sitting in front of the stove, and 

 grasping the poker, I smashed its head with it. 

 It had apparently tried to pounce on my sister's 

 head, as she was sitting only a few feet from the 

 window, the reflection from the lamp on her shin- 

 ing flaxen hair having no doubt attracted it. 



I know of two similar occurrences of the 

 smashing of windows by this bird since I have 

 been here. One of our Godbout Indians, "Old 

 Michel," was badly lacerated on the head by one 

 of these owls. The old man, who was a French 

 half-breed, had a fine head of grizzled curly hair. 

 Going out of his camp bareheaded one evening, 

 the bird pounced on him, its sharp claws pen- 

 trating the scalp. Immediately putting up his 

 hands, the old man grasped the bird by the legs 



