50 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



of April, but, in Mr. Fountaine's absence, these were 

 ■unfortunately taken away under the impression they 

 were bad. In spite of all these disappointments, 

 however, Mr. Fountaine has now in his possession 

 twenty-six of these noble birds, and has given away 

 thirteen others at different times. They are fed on 

 rats, rabbits, and small birds. A young pair of these 

 owls, in Mr. Gurney's aviary at Catton, the offspring of 

 Mr. Fountaine's old pair, also hatched for the first time 

 in 1860, when they brought up two young ones ; in 1861, 

 two more, and in 1862, three young ones. In 1863, 

 three were hatched and two brought up ; and, in 1864, 

 two were reared and presented to Mr. Fountaine, to 

 supply his losses. 



OTUS BRACHYOTUS (Linnasus). 

 SHORT-EAEED OWL. 



This species visits us regularly and pretty numerously 

 in the autumn, though scarcely in such numbers as in 

 former years, arriving in September and October about 

 the same time as the woodcocks, from which circum- 

 stance it is generally known as the woodcock owl. In 

 the spring these birds again proceed northwards towards 

 the end of March, having, I believe, entirely ceased to 

 breed in Norfolk,'^ where, especially in the once fenny 

 districts of the south-western parts of the coiuity, they 

 were commonly met with dui-ing the breeding season. 

 Mr. Hoy, writing about 30 years ago in *' Loudon's 

 Magazine," observes — "I am acquainted with two 

 localities in the south-western part of Norfolk, where 

 pairs of this bird breed, and I have known several 



* I have recently seen eggs of this species in Mr. Alfred 

 Newton's magnificent collection, at Cambridge, taken at Littleport, 

 Isle of Ely, in 1864. 



