BARRED OWLS IN CAPTIVITY. 107 



The gun was quite necessary, for my friend 

 would have fared badly in climbing if I had 

 not shot the old birds before they could attack 

 him. Their threatening cries and the loud snap- 

 ping of their beaks were quite enough to discour- 

 age an unarmed robber. 



I wrapped the two young birds in a towel and 

 later placed them side by side in an ordinary 

 canary cage. They were savage, using beaks 

 and claws vigorously. When released in my 

 dooryard they half hopped, half flew towards the 

 nearest tree, making such rapid progress that I 

 did not risk their loss by a second experiment. 

 For their permanent prison I chose a case in 

 which a piano had been boxed. By standing 

 it upon its end, and nailing perches at differ- 

 ent heights, ample space was given the captives. 

 The front of the box was barred horizontally by 

 laths. 



On what could the owls be fed? That was 

 my first problem. Not sharing in the belief of 

 my family that everything in feathers eats dough, 

 I tried raw beef. The birds found it too tough 

 to manage readily, and raw liver was substituted. 

 Nothing could have suited them better, and for 

 the best part of eighteen months liver and 

 beef kidney have been the chief of their diet. 

 For the birds' names the feminine half of my 

 household agreed upon " Puffy " and " Fluffy.'' 



