The Scoiiish Naturalist. 6 1 



back of the bedstead, wliere it sat motionless all day, occasionally 

 giving vent to its curious snoring note. In the course of a few 

 weeks it became perfectly tame and familiar, and readily re- 

 sponded to call, and every evening at feeding-time was all life 

 and excitement. On liberating a live mouse from the trap, let 

 it attempt to escape ever so nimbly, either under chair or table, 

 even at the further end of the room, " owl " was after him in a 

 moment, and never failed silently but surely to seize his prey, 

 and in a few seconds to return to his favourite stance, when 

 mousey was at once devoured. It may be that his supply of 

 food was not considered sufficient, for shortly he took to hunting 

 for himself, generally disappearing from the room immediately 

 after dusk, and never failing to return about ten o'clock, or after 

 an absence of three or four hours, when a slight tap would be 

 heard at the window, which, on being opened, in would fly owl, 

 and go straight to his perch, give two or three loud snores, and 

 then remain quiet for the night. A small silver plate, with name 

 and regiment engraved on it, was attached by a ring to the leg 

 above the tarsal joint : this never seemed to incommode him. 

 Many months passed, when, having to leave the islands, owl was 

 consigned to the care of a friend who remained behind. Whether 

 not approving of the change of masters, or that he betook to the 

 rearing of a family of his own, is not recorded; but the fact re- 

 mains that, becoming more irregular and longer in his returns, 

 he eventually stayed away altogether, and the last that was heard 

 of poor owl was that, some three years afterwards, he was shot 

 by a sergeant of artillery in mistake for a wild one, the silver 

 plate being still attached. I will now only ask. Can nothing be 

 done to obviate the wholesale slaughter of all our most interest- 

 ing birds? If the hawks must go, at least save our owls. 



15. Syrnium aluco, Cuv. (Tawny or Brown Owl.) 



, Of all our Owls, perhaps the Brown is the most common, and 

 its lively hoot may be heard more or less in all our woods. He 

 bears, however, and I fear with some justice, rather a bad char- 

 acter, as it must be admitted that he has frequently been found 

 guilty of treating his young brood now and then not only to 

 young rabbits, but to young partridges and pheasants, and, 

 strange to say, has even been detected occasionally capturing a 

 trout or two from some neighbouring stream. But the damage 

 he may inflict by his poaching habits is much more than com- 

 pensated by the number of brown rats and weasels he will 



