Sept., 1911 SOME C,OLORADO HORNE1) OWl, NOTES 1.55
that it is in about the same plumage as the bird on the left, and therefore presumably about the same age, forty-one to forty-five days. I had no data myself for making any sort of a guess at it. The youngster seemed to thrive fairly well in captivity. We picked out a tough old rooster and killed it for his benefit. The feeding was more or less simple. While the bird would sometimes take pieces which were offered him, I found in the end that the quickest method was to take him in hand, wearing gloves as a most necessary precaution against those sharp claws which he showed a perfect willingness, not to say anxiety, to test on one, and forcing open the bill, poke pieces of chicken down his throat until I thought he had a sufficiency for the time being. And I want to assure my readers that none of that chicken was wasted except the feathers, head, and legs. Everything else went down that bird's throat. Pieces of neck a couple of inches long were choice morsels. I was there until the thirteenth of May, it being the tenth when we first fed the bird, but during that time no pellets were cast up in the cage, which I thought rather strange as so many bones had beeu fed to it. After I went away my friend kept the owl until it was well grown, and it finally escaped, but apparently hung around the neighborhood, and was shot while steal- ing chickens at a place close by. I suppose we were to blame for its having acquired a taste for the birds, and hence for its untimely end. I rigged up a perch,'and occasionally took the bird out to photograph and study. The following I copy from my notes nmde at the time. "It stands about twelve inches high. The body plumage is mostly down, but the wing and tail feathers are well grown, and about half out of their sheaths. The ear tufts usually stand up about one-half inch but sometimes three-quarters of an inch. The feet and legs are thickly covered with a yellowish or light buffy down. The whole of the body down, both above and below, is barred similar to the adult, and is fully two inches thick on the breast. This down is a light yellowish brown, but light gray on the tips. The wing coverts are brownish yellow, with dark, nearly black, bars a quarter of an inch wide. The primaries and secondaries are as dark as the bars of the coverts, with still darker bars. The tail similar. The face markings and feathers are just beginuing to show." No material change took place during the few days I had the bird under observation, nor did it become especially tame. In 1902 I was in that region again, but did not stay at Paonia, but several miles away. April 4 I made a trip to the nest site, and found a fresh eggshell at the foot of the cliff, but had no time for, nor way of investigating just then; how- ever, I was glad to see this indication that the nest was occupied. Several days after, on the thirteenth, I was able to make another visit, seeing an adult at the nest as we came to it, but it flew away when I started down over the bluff on the rope. Even the post we had used the year before was still there. Very kind of that ranchman to leave it for me. I found three young in the nest, the largest nearly as large as a domestic pigeon, the smallest about two-thirds the size of the largest. Possibly it was hatched on the fourth, the day I found the shell below the nest. This smallest bird was covered with down exclusively, but the other two had their pin feathers started. They snapped their bills at me a little, but made no other hostile demon- stration. Photography was rather difficult work, for I had to stand near the crumbling edge of the shelf, and hang onto the rope for a support in case of the ground giving way, and manipulate the camera at the same time. Such nest construction as there was consisted of a sort of platform at the back of the cavity, in such a position that the snn would not beat on it until late in the