206 WOODLAND CREATURES 



men, the gardener being the person he most 

 disapproved of, though why no one knew. 

 Whenever the man appeared Hooter would 

 draw himself up and blink rapidly, which always 

 meant he was nervous as well as annoyed. 



The owl was at first kept in an outbuilding, 

 but, having been brought into the house once 

 or twice, he proved to have such excellent 

 manners, and was so well behaved, that he was 

 promoted to the position of household pet, 

 becoming far more interesting and intelligent 

 than any parrot. He was only shut up at 

 night, in the bath-room, and during the day 

 was free to go where he pleased, which was 

 all over the house. He usually spent the 

 morning resting on a curtain pole in the sitting 

 room, but in the afternoon he would become 

 very lively, flying about and making the place 

 ring with his hoots. When he came down from 

 roost he always flew on to the top of an open 

 door (a newspaper slipped under this door 

 saved all trouble as regards " sanitation ! ") and 

 there sat for some time, preening his downy plumage, 

 and gazing benevolently at those who passed in 

 and out of the room. When spoken to he would 

 reply with the soft gurgling call, which is one 

 of the cries of the Brown Owl. He would often 

 sit on my shoulder and coo softly to me. When 

 hungry he soon let us all know, raising the 

 sharp " ker-wick ! " cry, which is another of 

 the calls of this species. But, however hungry 

 he was, there were certain things he would not 



