72 llird-Nestiny- 



same burrows, or have any intimate domestic relations is quite 

 another thing. It is no proof that the quadrupeds and the 

 birds live together, that they are often seen to scuttle at each 

 other's heels into the same hole when alarmed ; for in such a 

 case the two simply seek the nearest shelter, independently of 

 each other. The probability is, that young dogs often furnish 

 a meal to the owls, and that in return the latter are often 

 robbed of their eggs by the dog : while certainly the young 

 of both, and the owls' eggs, too, are eaten by the snakes. In the 

 large villages there are thousands of burrows, many occupied by 

 the dogs but more perhaps vacant. These latter are the homes 

 of the owls. Moreover, the ground below is honey-combed with 

 communicating passages leading in every direction. If the 

 underground plan could be mapped, it would resemble the city 

 of Boston, with its tortuous and devious streets. The dogs 

 are continually busy in fair weather in repairing and extend- 

 ing their establishments. The main entrance may be compar- 

 ed to the stumps of a hollow tree, the interior of which com- 

 municates with many hollow branches that moreover intersect 

 these passages, finally ending in little pockets, the real home 

 of the animals. It is quite possible that the respective retreats 

 of a dog and an owl may have but one vestibule, but even 

 this does not imply that they nest together. It is strong evi- 

 dence in point, that usually there are the fewest owls in the 

 towns most densely populated by the dogs, and conversely, 

 scarcity of food or water often makes the dogs emigrate from 

 one locality to another ; it is in such " deserted villages " that 

 the owls are seen in greatest numbers. The note of the 

 burrowing owl is similar to that of the yellow-billed cuckoo. 

 Their favourite food is grasshoppers, and they also live on 

 lizards and young prairie dogs. They are commonly observed 

 perched on one of the innumerable little eminences that mark 

 a dog town. Amid their curious surroundings, they present a 

 spectacle not easily forgotten. Their figure is peculiar, with 

 their long legs and short tail ; the element of the grotesque is 

 never wanting; it is hard to say whether they look most 

 ludicrous as they stand stiffly erect and motionless, or when 



