OR LITTLE ITALIAN OWL. 21 



sualties, having been well taken care of for 

 eight months. On the 10th of May, in the 

 year of our Lord 1842, there being abundance 

 of snails, slugs, and beetles on the ground, I 

 released them from their long confinement. 



Just opposite to the flower-garden, there is 

 a dense plantation of spruce fir trees. Under 

 these, at intervals, by way of greater security, 

 I placed the separated parts of two dozen newly 

 killed rabbits, as a temporary supply of food ; 

 and at 7 o'clock in the evening, the weather 

 being serene and warm, I opened the door of 

 the cage. The five owls stepped out to try 

 their fortunes in this wicked world. As they 

 retired into the adjacent thicket, I bade them 

 be of good heart ; and although the whole world 

 was now open to them, " where to choose their 

 place of residence," I said, if they would stop 

 in my park, I would be glad of their company ; 

 and would always be a friend and benefactor to 

 them. 



c 3 



