202 THE BROWN OR TAWNY OWL. 



the nature of the bird's food. Now Dr. Altum took great 

 pains in examining 210 pellets of the tawny owl, and found 

 them to contain the remains of the following : — 



" 1 stoat, 6 rats, 371 mice, 48 moles, 8 small birds, 

 besides many beetles and cockchafers." 



Such observations as these are exceedingly useful and 

 instructive, for they not only show how improbable it is 

 that the bird interferes with game at all, but also how great 

 a service the bird renders to man in keeping down the 

 numbers of destructive vermin which would otherwise 

 increase so rapidly as to give rise to disastrous results. 



I have a few brown owls' pellets with me that were taken 

 from a deep hole in an old tree which must have been 

 frequented by these birds for some years. 



It will be seen that there are no bones amongst them of 

 any larger game than mice and sparrows. 



Here is also a specimen of a common shrew which I found 

 whole in the stomach of an owl sent to me a few months 

 ago. 



The shrew must have been swallowed only a very short 

 time before the bird was shot. 



Of course the easiest way to swallow a mouse would be 

 head foremost, and I proved that the owl had done so, in 

 this case at any rate, by the following incident. 



Before opening the stomach to examine its contents, I 

 severed its connection with the gullet by means of a pair of 

 scissors. When the shrew was discovered, I noticed that his 

 tail was represented by a mere stump. Closer inspection 

 showed signs of very recent amputation, and sure enough in 

 the lower end of the gullet I found the missing link, which 

 being the extremity of the bolus had never gained entrance 

 to the stomach at all. 



The tawny owl will occasionally vary his ordinary f are^ of 



