BARRED OWLS IN CAPTIVITY. 113 



that which is stale. I have seen both owls re- 

 tire in disgust to the top of their cage when 

 some thoroughly offensive liver was offered them. 

 On the other hand they devoured the skinned 

 carcass of a broad- winged hawk when it was 

 in almost as advanced a stage of decay, and 

 once recently, when I placed a piece of luminous 

 kidney in their closet at night, Puffy instantly 

 pounced upon it. I have no doubt from other 

 experiments that the light of the decaying meat, 

 and not its smell, was what attracted him. 



On one occasion I found a large number of 

 mice in a barrel of excelsior. Carefully taking 

 out most of the packing, I placed Puffy in the 

 bottom of the barrel. The mice spun round him 

 in confusing circles, but with great coolness he 

 caught one after another until nineteen were dis- 

 posed of. The owls between them ate the entire 

 number within six hours. Puffy is also expert 

 in catching and killing chipmunks, when placed 

 with them in a barrel. After seeing one or two 

 let out of a box trap for his benefit, the sight of 

 the trap was enough to bring him to the door of 

 the cage ready to act as executioner. The junc- 

 tion of the head and body of a vertebrate is the 

 point always chosen for the first effective use 

 of the beak. The struggles of a dying victim 

 seem to cause a certain cat-like excitement and 

 pleasure. 



