Little Owl 223 



rearing-field in the daytime." So that two out of the six were 

 certainly poaching. 



Owing to the fact that the specimens in my series were almost 

 all obtained outside the eight or nine critical weeks when game 

 is small, dissection does not afford much evidence for the prosecution. 

 But I have not the smallest doubt that this Owl is most destructive 

 on the rearing-fields. Every keeper writes to the same effect. I 

 lack the positive evidence afforded by dissection, only because I 

 have very few examples that were examined between May 15th 

 and Jul\- 15th. Througliout the 3'ear, beetles [coleoptera) of one 

 sort or another appear to be their main source of food, rodents 

 comparatively infrequently, and game-chicks in season. 



5/// December, igiG. 



