206 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



discovered that I soon could out-do Tabby in her 

 own chosen field. One day a great horned owl was 

 discovered perched upon a projection in the roof 

 of an out-building in the back yard. I thought 

 that the big bird would make a splendid addition 

 to my zoological garden. Carefully I Crept upon 

 the fierce blinking thing and whenever it turned 

 its head my way I would become as rigid and mo- 

 tionless as a setter dog on a point. To my great 

 joy I succeeded in reaching the owl, but I did not 

 know what to do next. The Virginia horned owl 

 is a large and powerful bird of prey, has hooked 

 talons which are capable of sinking through a 

 thick cowhide boot and badly wounding the foot 

 within, as I know from my own personal knowl- 

 edge, but at that time I had never before experi- 

 mented with big owls nevertheless I knew enough 

 about wild creatures to see at a glance that 



BOTH THE HEAD AND FEET OF THIS THING WERE 

 DANGEROUS 



and I was in a quandary. 



If I caught it by the feet its head would be free 

 if I caught it by the head, those powerful hooked 

 talons could rend and tear my flesh and clothes, 

 so in despair I took the flat of my hand and 

 knocked the astonished bird from its perch. Since 

 then, I have owned live specimens of the Virginia 

 horned owl and have reason to congratulate my- 

 self that I was prudent enough to allow this one to 

 escape. 



