u> 
Till*: CONDOR 
Vol. XIII 
fourth rabbit and a second Bob-white, also a plump field mouse, do not appear in the 
picture, being tucked away under the over-hanging roof to the left or buried under 
other remains. It was chilly on March dO and a high wdnd was blowing in from 
the northwest. On Ai^ril 13 we had a regular northwest gale to contend with and 
free/dng temperature added. We varied our work with the camera by runs across 
the frozen timber pasture. Why it was that our negatives taken on these last two 
dates did not show motion we have never satisfactorily exjdained to ourselves, for 
only time exiwsures could be used. Certain it is that both the big elm and our 
nearly thirty-foot stretch of ladder were swaying back and forth under the lash of 
that roaring wind. The gentle rain that was falling when, on April 18, Mr. 
Benedict helped me bring the now^ lively owlets to the base of the old nest tree, 
proved to be really no obstacle at all. It splashed water against the lens of the camera 
but the negatives gave no sign. The first fine weather of spring was calling forth 
the backward buds of the young hard maples when, on April 22, the owlets posed 
for the last time on an old oak stump just east of the nest tree. The weather 
encountered on dates not mentioned was com])osed of variations of the above, but 
the rule was freezing temperatures with high winds. Under all the conditions the 
young owls thrived and did not seem to mind seriously our intrusion into their 
home life. 
During the season of 1907 the food contents found in the nest cavity reach the 
following total; five Bob-wdiites, two meadow mice, one domestic pigeon, one 
h'licker, two American Coots, one King Rail, nineteen adult cotton-tails. This list 
is not, of course, an accurate account of the various captures brought to the nest. 
It merely records what was seen there on the sixteen trips made. The .same bird 
or mammal was doubtless sometimes counted twice and captures w^ere in all proba- 
bilitv brought in of which no remnants were seen. I think not more than 
three different Bob-wdiites \vere seen, quite likel}^ only two, and the number of 
cotton-tails is also probably too high. The fact seems to be that both birds and 
(luadrupeds of the larger size, after being eaten from the head to the tougher hind 
parts, were then left tw^o or three days untouched and finall\' removed from the 
nest altogether. These w’ere not dropped about the base of the tree, however, and 
in fact no trace of food remnants were found at any time except in the nest itself. 
That some refuse w'as removed from the nest seems probable from such facts as the 
following. The above mentioned two Bob-whites, one meadow’ mouse, and four rabbits 
found in the nest cavity on March 16 w’ere all in fairly wdiole condition, aside from 
the heads. On March 23 parts of five rabbits were found, rei;iresented by the hind 
quarters only, and one Bob-white w’ith the breast eaten away. These w’ere 
mostly rather dessicated remnants and I took them to be, for the most ]iart, left- 
overs from the week before. On March 30 the nest was entirely clean except for a 
freshly killed white pigeon. Generally speaking the nest cavity was well kept, 
a fact w’hich seemed to indicate removal of the e.xcrenient of the young by the old 
birds. 
Our second season’s active w’ork w’ith the owls w’as not wdthout its exciting 
features. Twice when alone I had had, in spite of close w'atchfulness, pretty close 
brushes with one of the old birds. But it was not until the young were removed 
from the nest for the last two attempts to get clearer pictures that there was any 
real element of danger. With the three pugnacious owlets groujied on the ground 
at the base of the nest tree both old birds now closed in, teetering and dancing and 
hooting on branches about thirty feet from our heads or brushing close iiast us as 
they took up new' iiositions or sought for an o]>ening. Mr. Benedict, who was my 
