Show fhe 1 HE HEARING OP OF OWLS it Is much better than their 1 sam of s w the hearing 0 of f a all ell species of 0 owls known to me is marvelously keen says a writer in th the popular science monthly so keen in fact that I 1 know of no I 1 way of testing it since it is much more acute than that of man if owls have the sense of smell I 1 am unable to find satisfactory evidence of it I 1 have tred various experiments with them hoping to prove that they could smell but the results are all negative they y dislike putrid meat but they bite it to ascertain its condition they win will not eat toads or frogs which yield an unpleasant odor but they did not reject t these species until they them had tested the them m by tasting they may be ever so hu hungry a i yet they do not suspect the pr pres es en ence ce of food if it is carefully covered so that they cannot see it this test I 1 have applied with the utmost ca care re to the great horned homed snowy and barred owls the latter are shrewd enough to learn my ways of hiding their food and when they suspect its presence they will search in the places where I 1 have previously hidden bidden it pouncing upon pieces of wrapping paper and poking under fe feathers and excelsior with amusing cunning I 1 tested them with the fumes of camphor ammonia and other disagreeable gree able and unusual smells but they failed to show that they perceived them unless the fumes were strong enough to affect their breathing or to irritate their eyes finally I 1 put a eat cat in it a basket and placed the basket between betwee n the two owls they were utter utterly ly indifferent to it until the cat made the basket rock when both of them fled precipitately and could not be induced to go near the basket again ain although puffy will put a cat to flight when on his mettle puffy is frightened almost out of his wits by them A japanese toy bird made of a piece of wood and a few scarlet feathers was eagerly seized by puffy indicating not only a lack of power of smell but the presence of an appreciation of color I 1 have fancied that an appreciation of color is is also shown by barred owls in their frequent selection of beech trees for netis nesting places by great horned ow Is a in in their choice of brown trees and by snowy owls in an apparent preference for izral in av backgrounds |