234 BARN OWL. 



have heard its piercing note within five miles of the 

 Marble Arch, and well recollect being roused in the 

 middle of the night by a terrified inmate of the house 

 in which I w^as, who then heard its unearthly shriek 

 for the first time. 



The plumage of the Barn Owl is most beautiful. It 

 is an extraordinary-looking bird, with its heart-shaped 

 face of the purest silky white feathers ; the upper 

 parts are buff, the feathers being most daintily pen- 

 cilled at the tips with dark purple and black ; the 

 under parts are white, thinly marked here and there 

 with dark spots. 



The Barn Owl builds no nest, but its eggs are 

 generally surrounded with numerous pellets which it 

 has ejected. Its eggs, three to seven, are found to- 

 wards the end of April or the beginning of May. Two 

 and sometimes three broods are reared. The eggs 

 of all the Owls are so much alike that unless you see 

 the bird, or find the nest, you will be unable to classify 

 them ; for although the different kinds vary in size, 

 this is very insufficient proof, as the eggs of the same 

 bird often vary very considerably ; they are all white, 

 very slightly oval or very nearly round ; the ordinary 

 size of the Long-eared is stated to be l^f inches by 

 l^j inches, of the Tawny If inches by n inches, and 

 of the Barn 1^ inches by 1-]- inches. 



The Barn Owl can be very easily tamed, even if 

 captured old ; the last we possessed was one whose 

 wing had been damaged through being kicked by a race- 

 horse in the Danebury Stables, where it had entered to 

 search for mice. This, through being carefully tended 

 and nursed, became very tame, and it was comical to see 

 the bird solemnly moving its head from side to side, seem- 

 ingly with pleasure, when its food was brought to it. 



