194 FROM BLOMIDON TO SMOKY. 



rested upon the stump. Following the direction 

 of his steady gaze, I saw a fine specimen of his 

 race in the dark forest. He was as rigid as 

 Puffy. How long they would have glared at 

 each other I cannot tell, for it began to rain, 

 and the stranger flew away. 



The hearing of all species of owls known to 

 me is marvelously keen ; so keen in fact that I 

 know of no way of testing it, since it is so much 

 more acute than that of man. If owls have the 

 sense of smell, I am unable to find satisfactory 

 evidence of it. I have tried various experiments 

 with them, hoping to prove that they could smell, 

 but the results are all negative. They dislike 

 putrid meat, but they bite it to ascertain its con- 

 dition. They will not eat toads or frogs which 

 yield an unpleasant odor, but they did not reject 

 these species until they had tested them by tast- 

 ing. They may be ever so hungry, yet they do 

 not suspect the presence of food if it is carefully 

 covered so that they cannot see it. This test I 

 have applied with the utmost care to the great- 

 horned, snowy, and barred owls. The latter are 

 shrewd enough to learn my ways of hiding their 

 food, and when they suspect its presence they 

 will search in the places where I have previously 

 hidden it, pouncing upon pieces of wrapping- 

 paper, and poking under feathers and excelsior 

 with amusing cunning. I tested them with the 



