1879. ] Zoology. 263 
resolved to examine the nest. One Sunday in May, toward the 
close of the afternoon, they placed a ladder against the wall, 
whereupon the old birds flew out, and our young observers, 
going in turn to the summit, were able to gratify their curiosity 
by inspecting the family of owls. They found several young 
ones of extraordinary ugliness, and, according to their own 
account, after examining them they carefully replaced them in 
the nest. The parent birds did not that evening appear to be 
angered at the proceeding. 
The next night, however, between g and 10 o'clock, as the 
young farmer was returning home followed by his servant-man 
some Six or seven paces in the rear, on passing by the wall in 
question he heard a sound of wings and a violent exclamation at 
the same time from the servant. The latter, in evident pain and 
alarm, held his hands clasped over his right eye. He stated that 
the owl had flown suddenly down upon him, had driven her tal- 
ons into his chin and then struck him upon the right eye with 
her beak. The blow, fortunately, did not fall on the eye-ball, 
and was not followed by any mutilation. Upon examination there 
were to be seen, besides a violent bruise below the eye, two 
bleeding wounds on the chin, the unmistakable imprint of the 
talons of the bird of night. 
he man could not sleep during the night, partly from pain, 
partly from the necessity of applying cooling lotions to the 
injured part; he had plenty of time, therefore, to meditate upon 
vengeance, and the destruction of the nest was determined upon. 
ut the next morning, about 5 o'clock, a cousin of the farmer 
passing by found the young owls on the ground at the foot of the 
wall. Unaware of the attack of the evening before, he gathered 
them up and with the aid of the ladder replaced them in their 
nest. Had some one taken these little creatures out? Had 
in hand, behind his victim, strikes the fatal blow, and then dis- 
covers that he has mistaken the person. Such an incident 
occurred in Morges not long since. Was this the case with the 
owl? Were the young ones in fact taken from the nest the suc- 
ceeding evening, and did the mother’s vengeful beak merely 
Strike the wrong person? It is impossible to decide this. The 
Servant swore by all his Saints that he had not meddled with the 
nest, and that at the moment when he was attacked he was as 
innocent as a new-born child. 
e next day witnessed a new act in the little drama. The 
owl, guilty both of malice and of a blunder, was speedily tried, 
condemned, and the suppression of the entire brood included in 
the sentence. Execution followed in the afternoon. The owls . 
