6 
NOTES ON EIRDS IN CONFINEMENT. 
Nyctea nyctea. 
attitude before, I feared something was the matter, but when 
I tried to scratch her head she struck at me most viciously 
with her bill, still hugging the ground. I then took a stick 
and pried her up, using some force, when behold! — the mys- 
tery was explained, for, firm/y clutched in her talons was 
the head and neck of a Duck, the last probably of the three 
which . she appropriated four hours before, for the other two 
'iad disappeared. Evidently she was too satiated to eat it, 
but too greedy to let Boreas have it. 
This mo-'ning I threw a Sparrow into the Owl pen. 
Aurora at the time was perched on one of the roosts six feet 
above the ground. She had eaten the last Duck's head and 
wore her usual serene expression, but almost as soon as the 
Sparrow touched the floor, she descended on it by a semi- 
spiral swoop and struck it with great force and precision. 
She then assumed the brooding position and sullen look al- 
ready described. 
I watched her several minutes, but she evidently ' 
had no intention of eating the Sparrow, so I left her. 1 
fear poor Boreas will starve unless I interfere. 
rch — • Gave tIie n wls a pound of clear beef cut up 
into small pieces. Each ate all it could stuff down and then 
collected what it could of the remainder and "brooded" it 
for hours with eyes closed, feathers ruffed and a generally 
wretched yet sullen expression. Aurora robbed Boreas of his 
first piece but afterwards letn him alone. 
* Gave the owls some beef, neither having hd 
any hmg to eat since the I8th. Aurora greedy as usual get- 
ting much more than her share, but eating only a little and 
r on ding the remainder. Apparently she was not hungry . 
Boreas very hungry, in fact, ravenous. 
^ ? ’'‘ arc h 25 . Aurora found dead i 
morning. No external marks of injury, 
ination disclosed a quantity of watery 
tinged with bloody filling the space 
body on one side, from the base of the 
n corner of cage this 
but post mortem exam- 
pus, greenish yellow 
between the skin and 
humerus to the thigh. 
tr 
