336 BRITISH BIRDS. 



and spread, are those by the late Lord Lilford, near 

 Oundle, in Northamptonshire, and by Mr, E. G. B. Meade- 

 Waldo, at Stonewall Park, near Edenbridge, in Kent. 



From these centres of introduction the bird has spread 

 in a very remarkable way. To deal first with the N"orth- 

 amptonshire introduction, the bird was first discovered 

 breeding at Lilford in 1889, but for several years before 

 Lord Lilford had made a practice of liberating' Little Owls 

 in various parts of his grounds.^ From 1889 the birds 

 appear to have multiplied and spread in a remarkable 

 way. 



In 1890 and subsequent years Lord Lilford records {I.e.) 

 how they were found breeding in several places round 

 about Lilford, while by 1892, in any case, and most likel}" 

 before then, the bird had spread to Woburn, in the south- 

 west of Bedfordshire. It has been generally believed that 

 the bird was introduced at Woburn itself, but on this 

 point the Duchess of Bedford kindly writes to us as 

 follows : — 



"I have known the Little Owl at Woburn since I first 

 came to live here (Woburn Abbey) in 1892. The keepers 

 say that it existed here before that date. I should like to 

 correct the impression which appears to be very prevalent 

 that we have imported it ourselves. We have never 

 imported them, and as they were here so early as 1892 I 

 conclude that the birds here must have come from Lord 

 Lilford's importation and not from the more recent one at 

 Tring. 



" There are a great many of them about the Park, and 

 they have bred freely for many years. Owing to their 

 habit of flying about in the daytime they are frequently 

 seen. I have seen one kill an almost full-grown Thrush." 



Although it was not recorded between Lilford and 

 Woburn previous to 1894, it probably existed in the north 

 of the county but was unnoticed. In any case, according 

 to a very useful account of its status in Bedfordshire, t it 



* Lilford, Notes on the Birds of Norths., p. 66. 

 t J. Steele-Elliott, Zool., 1907, p. 384. 



