THE OOLOGIST. 



201 



••■or rather spoon-fed young did not die 



from May fifteenth to July lirst. One 

 season they about all died, and not 

 content with the test I tried it again 

 the following year. The second year 

 we brought more through because we 

 went in heavier. However, the bird 

 grave yard assumed immense propor- 

 tions. 



' My partner in crime was a middle 

 aged man and a manufacturer. He 

 spent about all of his spare momeuts 

 in feeding the multitudinous young 

 birds, who with scarcely an exception, 

 had insatiable appetites. Bread and 

 milk formed the main reliance, and the 

 amount of dope-mixture which the ag- 

 gregation of suffering prison-birds 

 would surround was a caution. It kept 

 one boy busy running after fresh bread 

 and milk, and when the weather began 

 to get quite warm, the demands of the 

 .young birds and the necessity of keep- 

 ing the food sweet nearly drove my 

 friend daft. But he stuck to it manful- 

 ly, and his devotion was only equalled 

 flay my heroic efforts to supply new 

 "victims. 



At last when the second summer 

 waned our stock in trade just equalled 

 its bulk when we began. In other 

 words there was a lone, broken-legged 

 robin left; and this same robin had been 

 the standby of my partner for several 

 years previous to this new deal. There- 

 fore I was 'not in it,' and our partner- 

 ship busted right then and there, as the 

 trade did not warrant a continuance. 

 He offered me the crippled robin, but I 

 declined with thanks, and have ever 

 since kept out of the ranks of live bird 

 collectors. And now as I look back on 

 that chattering, chirping collection of 

 live birds and think of my partner fill- 

 ing them up all round every thirty min- 

 utes, I cannot heljp but smile out 'loud. 

 But I also feel sorrowful at the untime- 

 ly end of those dear little vireos, thrush- 

 es, orioles, swallows, tangers and the 

 cunning flycatchers, chickadees, yellow 

 warblers and redstarts. 



Nevertheless, although so unsuccess- 

 ful wiih the smaller insect-feeding 

 birds, I had very good luck with many 

 other species at various times. 



1 once owned an immature Red-tailed 

 Hawk, which I captured after breaking 

 his wing by shooting. It remained 

 healthy and fierce throughout its stay 

 with me, and I never could tame or 

 subdue it in the slightest degree. It fed 

 on meat entirely, and refused all other 

 food, although frequently hard up for 

 nourishment. Its eyes were always 

 wild, and it would strike with beak and 

 talons at everyone. It finally pounced 

 on one of my pet golden Plovers and 

 thrust its cruel claws through the poor 

 creature's body. After lhis I lost all 

 liking for the moody, ferocious hawk, 

 and I slew him. 



Two Barred Owls that I owned at var- 

 ious periods, were quite interesting and 

 lent entertainment to me on rainy days 

 in the city, when I would watch my 

 pets in the barn. This owl, and in fact, 

 all my owls and hawks fed on meat, 

 rats, mice, neighborhood cats, and also 

 frogs and snakes which I would sup- 

 ply. I fed the Barred Owls once a day 

 On one occasion I was absent a couple 

 of days and when I called on 'snapper' 

 with his meat, he flew at me in his eag- 

 erness, and gouged me for my negli- 

 gence. Ordinarily he was quite harm- 

 less, though he made a great bluster, 

 snapping his bill as if very ferocious. 

 A Screech Owl that I owned a short 

 time, escaped from its house, as did al- 

 so the Barred Owl, but a Screech Owl 

 which a friend of mine owned, become 

 very tame. Once a boy stole it, but it 

 escaped from the boy and flew back to 

 its owner. 



I have owned several Great Horned 

 Owls. They make interesting but ug- 

 ly pets. Taken when old they cannot 

 be tamed. A friend of mine has two, 

 undoubtedly a pair taken when a 

 few weeks old from the nest. They are 

 now three years old or more and very 



