Brilish Owls. 171 



ho was lirinly coiivincL'd 1 Iiad j^axic. It. is iiifere.sting to sec 

 a Hari! Owl willi a dead rat or mouse. Tlic inouso, if small, 

 is swallowed whole, hill a I'at is skiiuicd first. Most Owls 

 prel'ei- mice to anything else, hut the Little Owl nmeh prefers 

 Spariows and other small birds. 



Long-eared Owl {Asio otus, Linnaeus) also prefers 

 hirds to mice. Tliis is a handsome fellow and becomes very 

 tame. It is, by no means, as playful as the Barn and Tawny 

 Owls, but resembles the Tawny in being fond of bathing. 

 All m\ Long -eared Owls go boldly into a large shallow bath 

 and llai and splash until they are soaked, following which 

 ^hey sit on the perches to dry and preen themselves. Young 

 Long-eared Owls are some'timcs mistaken for Short-eared, 

 but it is dillicult to understand why, for they are totally 

 diU'erent. 



The Short-eared Owl {Asio accipitiinus, Pallas) is a 

 much lighter coloured bird than the Long -eared, and far 

 more strongly built. 'And the Short -eared does not always 

 agree with his Long -eared compatriot as I have discovered to 

 my cost, one of the former killing and eating a Long -ear, 

 a cannabalistic act, for which there was no excuse, seeing; 

 that there was plenty of food in the aviary. The Short-- 

 eared Owls agree well with the Tawny Owls, into whose aviary 

 I have removed them. They feed in the day as well as at 

 nigliit, and are fondest oi mice as a staple article of 'diet. 

 1 have only once seen this bird in a wild state, and that one 

 was Hushed from some stubble in broad daj^ight. In some 

 districts they are known as Hawk-owls, owing to their day- 

 time hunting. 



Another interesting member of the Owl family is the 

 Scops -eared {Scoips giu, Soopoli) This is an extremely 

 prettily marked Horned Owl, common on the continent, but 

 rarely seen in England. They soon get very tame, and make 

 delightful pets, especially for those who have noL much room 

 to spare. Mine were all caught when adult, but were quite 

 tame in a fortnight. Their behaviour before settling down 

 was very comical. On my approaching their home, they 

 would crouch down on the perch, and ruMe out their feathers 

 until they were twice their normal size, and snap their beaks 

 ferociously. Most owls when frightened or angry will snap 



