OWLS. 11 



< I'm floored/ said MacA., at last breaking the 

 silence, ' this beats cock fighting ; where the 

 deuce has the bird been to get into this plight ? 

 He looks for all the world like a skinned rabbit.' 

 Well, there the bird sat, and there we left him 

 when we went to bed ; in the morning found 

 him on the wood where we had first placed him. 

 " We stayed at the Cliampsbullant a month, and 

 the owl was always about the house; he was as 

 tame as a dog, and cared for no one. I forgot 

 to tell you that some days after his midnight 

 arrival amongst us we found his feathers in the 

 pen where the geese were kept. It appears that 

 they, disliking 'the illustrious' stranger, had 

 evidently plucked him. On leaving for home 

 the bird was put into the bag again, but he 

 managed to get out ; as it was in the day time 

 I soon discovered it, for on turning round he was 

 running as well as he could after us, for he could 

 not yet fly. He managed to get out two or 

 three times, and had an evident dislike to being 

 shut up. As we approached St. Pierre, a village 

 about four miles off, where we were to find our 

 voiture, we met the old village apothecary, who 

 had been a prisoner of war of ours many years, 

 a curious old fellow, but who spoke English per- 



