ETON 071 
a72t. 
others thrived and readily ate from our hands from the first. 
They solicited food by a short scream very like that of a Night- 
hawk ; they menaced by snapping their bills and hissing, and 
they expressed surprise and anger by a querulous, rattling 
whistle. 
By the time they were about two months old they were fully 
fledged and could fly fairly well. In general color they were 
pale buff with black bars ; a little lighter than the typical Bubo 
virginiamts, but considerably darker than the mother. At this 
time the horns were less conspicuous than when in the down. 
T'hey ejected a pellet about five times jaer week, and if supplied 
with more food than they require for present use they hide it 
until they are hungry. 
At first we (Dr. Gilbert and myself) were in hopes of taming 
them, but their ferocity grew with their growth ; and when they 
were able to fly, so far from submitting to handling, it was not 
safe for a stranger to come near them. No better illus- 
tration of their temper could be given, than the fact that 
tvri • flicT lArATA .left without food for a 
When either came to the nest alone with a stick it would place 
it hurriedly upon the nest, but when both met at the nest 
they would at once commence fussing about, pulling at the 
sticks and trying to arrange the material, first one getting upon 
the nest, and then the other, turning around as if trying to fit a 
place for their bodies. I think at one time they must have 
worked at least ten minutes trying to weave in or place in a sat- 
isfactory manner a stripping from the inner bark of the cotton- 
wood. As builders they are not a success. After a little over 
two hours of watching I turned my attention to hunting for the 
nests of others. In this I failed, but found near by, sitting on the 
dead limb of an oak, a pair of Mississippi Kites, busily engaged 
in dressing iqr their feathers. My anxiety to secure a pair for 
my collection overcame the desire for their eggs, especially as the 
birds are rare in the State and the finding of their nest doubtful ; 
I believed I could get both by shooting one from the tree and the 
other on the wing as it left ; so I carefully crawled to within easy 
shooting distance, sprang to my feet, shot one, and to my sur- 
IDi'ise the other did not fly, but with outstretched wings looked 
down with astonishment at its mate fluttering upon the ground. 
It was too good a shot to lose and I dropped it beside the other. 
