THE WOOD OWL 



{Strix aluco) 



The Tawny Owl, or Wood Owl, as it is much more aptly 

 called, is an inhabitant of the grand old forests and exten- 

 sive woods. Persecution is slowdy but surely exterminating 

 this fine bird ; but owing to his seclusive habits and love for 

 the deepest and least frequented woods, he is able in many 

 districts to bid defiance to his human enemies. He loves the 

 w^oods which are full of ancient timber, the grand old oaks 

 whose gnarled and hollow trunks furnish him with a quiet 

 retreat ; he is found in the extensive pine w^oods, and some- 

 times takes up his quarters in an old ruin or a cave in the 

 rocks, provided the country round about them is well covered 

 with trees. You cannot easily mistake his whereabouts, nor 

 readily confuse him wdth any other Owd. His loud, full, and 

 wide-sounding lioo-lioo-lioo is unmistakable — a cry which is 

 apt to startle our reverie in the forests when night is stealing 

 softly over them. 



The Wood Owl is a thorough bird of night, and never 

 wanders abroad until the sun has dropped behind the western 

 horizon. Occasionally a half-dazed bird may be met with 

 in the bright sunlight, but he has been disturbed at his 

 roosting-place. I have also known him come out in the 

 twilight on the dark wintery afternoons, and in late autumn 

 when the evening mists have been unusually dense. The 

 habits of such a bird as the Wood Owl are rather difficult 



