228 Birds Every Child Should Know 
body, about a foot and a half long, that comes 
out of its hole at evening with a wild scream, 
startling timid and superstitious people into the 
belief that it is uncanny. The American coun- 
terpart of ‘‘wise Minerva’s only fowl,” its large 
eye-discs and solemn blink certainly make it 
look like a fit companion for the goddess of 
wisdom. 
A tame barn owl, owned by a gentleman in 
Philadelphia, would sit on his shoulder for hours 
at a time. It felt offended if its master would 
not play with it. The only way the man 
could gain time for himself during the bird’s 
waking hours, was to feed it well and leave a 
stuffed bird for it to play with when he went 
out of the room, just as Jimmy Brown left a 
doll with his baby sister when he went out to 
play; only the man could not tack the owl’s 
petticoats to the floor. 
A pair of barn owls lived for many years in the 
tower of the Smithsonian Institution, Wash- 
ington. Dr. Fisher found the skulls of four 
hundred and fifty-four small mammals in the 
pellets cast about their home. Another pair 
lived in a tower and on the best of terms with 
some tame pigeons. Happily the owls had no 
taste for squab, but the debris of several 
thousand mice and rats about their curious 
dwelling proved that their appetite needed no 
coaxing with such a delicacy. 
