The Screech Owl 105 



he told me that three times a day they were fed bread 

 soaked in milk. The larger owl, he informed me, 

 was a male and the smaller one a female. I do not know 

 how he determined this, but he was very positive in 

 his statements concerning owls, telling me a great 

 deal about these birds: that they were very scarce; 

 that if, when about to set out on a journey an owl 

 "hooted," you were sure to have bad luck; also that if 

 for three nights in succession an owl was heard close 

 to a house and from the same tree, there would be 

 a death in the family within the next six months. To 

 all this astonishing information he added that he 

 could take these birds to a man in Orange who would 

 pay at least six or eight dollars for them. 



I pitied the little birds — they were screech owls — 

 and offered the man what I considered to be a moder- 

 ate simi for them. He accepted the offer very 

 quickly, although it was considerably less than he 

 had said he could get for them in Orange. 



I carried them home in a paper box, and arranged 

 temporary quarters for them, until I could construct 

 something better. I gave each of them an EngHsh 

 sparrow, which I fancied was more to their liking 

 than bread and milk; nor did they need to be urged 

 to eat, but eagerly began their feast at once. 



We gave them appropriate names, corresponding to 



