478 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



complished by visiting their nests in the tree tops, 

 access to which, as a rule, can be obtained by using 

 climbervS. 



The owls often begin to lay even in our North- 

 ern States as early as February; as far north as 

 Minnesota, the eggs of the great horned owl have 

 been found as early as February 7, but we are 

 not nest robbers of the kind who exterminate the 

 birds by collecting eggs. 



Both my dogs, "Tramp" and "Nipper," wanted 

 a swim one morning and they took particular care 

 to make known their want by putting their cold, 

 wet noses in my hand, and, after attracting my at- 

 tention, smelling around the wheel closet, then 

 looking me in the face and barking. 



I understand dog language and knew just what 

 was expected of me, so I jumped on my wheel 

 and with the dogs frisking on each side of me took 

 the road to Kissena Lake. 



After the dogs had plunged into the cool water 

 and retrieved all the floating bits on the surface 

 of the pond, I wheeled down to the other end, 

 where an ancient mill stands. The mill has been 

 transformed into an ice manufactory and my 

 friend the engineer sat under the shade of an old 

 willow tree just outside the engine-room. He was 

 watching the corks attached to several fish lines he 

 had set in front of the mill. 



Alongside of him was a tub of ugly looking 

 snapping turtles and on a rude perch sat a great 

 bird which might at first glance have been mis- 



