Owls

[Bex]

No: HPFGUIDX 181630

> > Mike:
> > So, do you think they charge by distance of delivery, size or 
> speed of 
> > the owl chosen, size of the package, or chance that the owl may 
> > encounter difficulties along the way? <g> Maybe, like Alla brought 
> up, 
> > it's by how smart the owl is you choose to make the delivery.
> > <SNIP>
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Well, I am speculating based on this quote  from chapter 22 that 
> sometimes smaller owls are smarter and able to figure out directions 
> better maybe?
> 
> I mean, no question that the larger owls are stronger, sort of 
> obvious, yes? I was wondering about the intelligence.
> 
> 
> "It felt like a very fluffy Snitch. He brought it carefully inside. 
> The owl dropped its letter onto Harry's seat and began zooming 
> around their apartment, apparently very pleased with itself for 
> accomplishing its task. Hedwig clicked her beak with the sort of 
> dignified disapproval.
> 
> *****************
> *****************
> 
> I have some doubt about this owl's reliability, but he is the best I 
> could find, and he did seem eager for the job" - p.315
>

Bex:
Actually the question Alla posed originally was "is there a
correlation between an owl's size, and its intelligence?"

I expect that the charges are based on location of delivery, package
weight, and how fast the delivery needs to be made (like UPS, but no
brokerage fees). But of course, if you send something to someone when
you don't know where they are... oooh, that could get sticky. Perhaps
they have a meter? <g> Your Gringotts account is billed upon the owl's
return?

I assumed that the smallest owls were chosen for local deliveries
strictly because of endurance - obviously a stronger, larger owl would
need fewer breaks, and would be able to fly further in the same amount
of time. I don't see any particular correlation between size and
smarts. Hedwig finds Sirius just as easily as Pig and the school owls
do when he's on the run in GoF.

I still wonder how someone can veil themselves from owls, as Sirius
must have done in PoA.

~Bex