TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
99 
it. So I accordingly set to work to arrange my studio for my strange sitter, a 
towel-airer doing duty for a posing chair, and a focussing cloth for a background. 
When all was in readiness I carefully sat the owl in position ; he did not seem to 
approve of it at first, and rocked himself from side to side in a most ludicrous 
manner. But after a few minutes he resignedly sat still, but evidently strongly 
objected to the bright light in which it was necessary to place him, and therefore 
firmly closed his eyes and could not be persuaded to open them. I then exposed 
five plates upon him, three of which proved successful. The operation over, he 
was returned to the basket. The lid was left open this time, but he made no 
attempt to escape, and in a few moments was apparently fast asleep. I then left 
him undisturbed till the evening, and when I then visited him I found him sitting 
on the edge of the basket, from which on my approach he flew to the other end of 
the studio, but did not seem particularly frightened when I again caught him. I 
then carefully carried him to the churchyard, and threw him into the air, watching 
him fly slowly into a neighbouring fir tree,* where he sat, thinking no doubt of the 
exciting adventures through which he had passed during the day. The photo- 
graphs were duly printed, and some lantern slides were made from the negatives, 
which proved a source of endless amusement and I hope taught a lesson in kind- 
ness to some hundreds of young people to whom they were shown this Christmas. 
Ringmer. Frank \V. Burgess. 
Sense of Humour in Animals. — I was lately much amused by the 
behaviour of my Irish terrier. He is not a puppy, being over two years old ; he 
sleeps in the scullery, has a warm bed made for him there in a large box. A few 
mornings ago the little kitchenmaid was in a state of great distress. All her 
stove brushes and cloths had disappeared from her stove box ; she looked high 
and low for the missing articles. “Tartar,” the terrier, curled up in his box, 
watched her attentively, looking in a particularly happy frame of mind, and she 
suddenly caught sight of what looked like the handle of a stove brush peeping 
out of the corner of his bed ; she examined his bed, and found he had carried 
all her brushes there and covered them over with her hearth cloth, and was 
curled up on the top of them. Directly she turned him out of his bed he began 
to run about delightealy. He i.' not in the habit of hiding anything, so I am of 
opinion that he was playing a practical joke. 
Berry Grove. HELEN Watney. 
[We regret the omission of a large number of notes, owing to want of 
space. — E d. N.N.'\ 
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* The fir tree was one of those in the grounds of “Delves House” which 
formed part of the “ fir grove” mentioned by the Rev. Gilbert White in one of 
his letters written in Ringmer. 
