68 Correspondence. 



Correspondence. 



SMALL lilRDS' STRUGGLES —TOO MANY BIRDS OF PREY. 



Sir .-—Apropos of the letter on birds of prey in last number of " B.N." 

 I do not think you can form a fa-'r estimate of the destructiveness of a 

 particular species of hawk or owl to bird life except you examine the contents 

 of its stomach (or ejected ]iellets) throug-hout the year. Examination of 



owl pellets is almost invariably made duriny llie breeding season, sunnncr, 

 and not in the winter as well. The Urow n Owl in summer feeds mainly on 

 mice and beetles, l)Ut I fancy an examinalion of its stomach in late winter 

 would surjirise its admirers- — and shock them I If it is anylhino- like as 

 destructive to our native birds as it is to forei^^iiers it nnist be a veritable 

 scourge. 



.\t mv old home in Bedfcnxlshire it w.is impossible to keep any parrakeet 

 at liberty during- the winter, smaller than a cock rosella — the brown owls 

 had every one, and they must have killed dozens, as well as Tanagers, etc. 

 Later a different set of owls took ro killing full grown Chukor Partridges 

 and several were trapped at the half-eaten bodies of their victims. Here it 

 is the .same story ; I was more cautious about letting out small parrakeets, 

 but alas ! the briUes carried off a beautiful cock I'arraband whom I thought 

 too big for them to tackle, and later, ;inother large ])arrakeet belongmg 

 to a weak-l)illed si)ecies. liarn owls are li'ss destructive to bird life. Now 

 and again they take .-i liiicli, but nnt often and though individuals will attack 

 big birds, they are the eNcei)tion and not the rule. 



The Little Owl prefers mice to birds, and insects to either, as may be 

 pro\ed b\- anyone keeping it as a pet. \\'hen breeding it kills a good many 

 voung blackbirds, thrushes, and starlings, and will not infrequently take 

 partridge and pheasant chicks, as well. 1-ience its bad reputation. It is 

 quite untrue to say th;it it is destructive to finches and small insectivorous 

 birds, the whole year mund. I know a garden inhabited 1)\- a pair of Little 

 Owls where robins, wrens, fits, nuthatclu-s and finches siniiilv sw-arni and I 

 have ne\-er found their remains in the I^ittle Ow-ls' iiellets. When huiUing 

 1)\- d;i\- tlii'v are far too conspicuous and too slow to c;itch anything but a 

 fledgling. 



\\'ar])lington House, TAVISTOCK. 



Tlavant, Hants. 



February 24th, 3919. 



