92 Allen's naturalists library. 



ment. Fifty years ago Waterton set some specimens free in 

 Yorkshire, and this experiment has been since tried by several 

 naturaHsts, notably Mr. St. Quintin in Yorkshire, Lord Lil- 

 ford in Northamptonshire, and Mr. Meade-Waldo in Hamp- 

 shire. 



Range outside the British Islands. — Europe generally, but only an 

 occasional visitant to Scandinavia. In South-eastern Europe 

 the colour is decidedly paler and a rufous race, Cari?ie glaux^ 

 which is found in Egypt and Palestine, extends to Persia. 

 Thence a race, with thickly-feathered toes, C. bactriana^ takes 

 its place in Central Asia, and ranges into Northern China. 



Habits. — The Little Owl is as much diurnal as nocturnal in 

 its habits, and feeds upon mice, small birds, and all kinds of 

 insects, grasshoppers, moths, beetles, &c. I can cordially re- 

 commend this bird as a tame and amusing pet, and one which 

 will speedily clear a kitchen of black-beetles. Two tame 

 Owls of this species were most useful in this respect, as, un- 

 fortunately, in the suburb of London in which I resided some 

 ten years ago, black-beetles were a very disagreeable reality. 

 Hedgehogs in the kitchen at night were undoubtedly useful, 

 but the best sport was obtained with my Little Owls, of which 

 I had a pair. Every night the gas was turned low, and the 

 Owls sat on our hands like trained Hawks. Their bright little 

 eyes were turned in every direction, and the advent of a beetle 

 was announced by a vigorous " bobbing " of their heads. 

 Before I could see the noxious insect, the Owls would leave 

 their perch on my hand and noiselessly glide down and cap- 

 ture the unsuspecting horror. Then they would stand over it, 

 with one wing spread out, as if to protect the savoury morsel 

 from the vulgar world, which knows not the delicacy of a black- 

 beetle. Then grasping it in their toes, holding it like a Parrot, 

 as if with a hand, they would munch it up contentedly, till not 

 even an antenna was left to mark the place of slaughter. How 

 many beetles one of these Owls would kill in an evening would 

 be difficult to say. I used to leave them on the gas-bracket to 

 work out their role of extermination, but the mess that they 

 made during the night ended in a " revolt of the daughter," 

 backed up by the servants, and they had once more to be 

 banished to their cage in the garden. 



