170 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 1)7 



tions have followed. It has proved a pest, and ornithologists 

 loudly denounce it, though it appears to be no greater enemy 

 of small birds than is our Screech Owl. I have been slow in 

 forming an opinion of the Screech Owl, whose nesting habits 

 and food supply I have studied at very close range for sev- 

 eral years. The facts and figures against this species cannot 

 be given here excepting this: In 1916 fifty per cent of the 

 food found in a Screech Owl's nest consisted of birds. The 

 nightly accumulation of feathers from victims/ that were not 

 seen^ argued that birds formed half of the bill of fare through- 

 out the nest season. Reluctantly the conviction came that in 

 places where small birls are encouraged to stay the Screech 

 Owl should be urged to depart, gently but firmly, by the chlor- 

 oform route. 



The railway ride from Athens to Patras consumed an 

 afternoon, together with an hour or two of the evening. Very 

 few birds were seen. Gulls for most part had left their win- 

 ter resorts, and none was seen, though we were in sight of 

 salt water during most of the journey. There were seen a 

 few Crows, Magpies, Crested Larks and Swallows, and noth- 

 ing else. One interesting sight was the canal cut through the 

 Isthmus of Corinth. Though three miles in length, it looked 

 much less, and far below its waters shown like a ribbon. A 

 short stop at Corinth did not admit of :a view of the ancient, 

 ruined city even from a distance. If one were thirsty for re- 

 freshing colors he could have drunk his fill during the entire 

 afternoon: There were the wondrously beautiful blues of 

 the Gulf of Corinth, beyond which were the violet hues of 

 shore and mountains. Mount Helicon came first and farther 

 on Mount Parnassus raised its snow-capped head. The nar- 

 row strip of cultivated land, through which we rode, was de- 

 voted mainly to olive groves and vineyards. The grape-vines of 

 the latter ought to have interested more the women than the men 

 of the party. Wherever mince pies, fruit cake, or plum pud- 

 dings are to be concocted we order for them currants or some- 

 times we say Zante currants, and there near the railway track 

 were growing thousands of the grape-vines which bear these 



