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necessity is, I fancy, often omitted by those who wish to keep

Owls. On emerging from their bath some of the large and very

downy-plumaged Owls present the most ludicrous appearance.


All the Owls like large and rough perches. I use larch or

small Scotch fir poles for mine, but some of the small Owls, such

as the Scops, should be supplied with thin perches as well. It is,

of course, not advisable to place more than one species of Owl

in an aviary, and a breeding pair must always have an aviary to

itself.


To keep these birds in perfect health and order good and

fresh food must be given. For convenience I generally use

rabbits, but they also eat birds, chickens’ heads and necks ; and,

when procurable, fur or feathers must always go with each meal;

and the health of the individual cau always be gauged by the

condition of its castings, viz., the indigestible portion of its last

meal which is ejected the following day. The healthy castings

should consist of the fur or feathers and bones alone tightly

wrapped. If sloppy, or with portions of undigested meat, the bird

is not well, The lining of the gizzard and the skin of , the feet of

a bird eaten are ejected as indigestible by an Owl when in health,

and need not alarm its owner. Owls do not eat the intestines of

their prey, and for cleanliness sake it is well to paunch all rabbits

etc., that are supplied as food. All Owls eat a great deal more food

during the summer and early autumn months than during the

rest of the year, and from May to September should have as

much as they can eat once a day, but not more. The reason for

this feeding is obvious. During the summer and autumn, food

is easily obtained, owing to numerous young and inexperienced

creatures always being on the move ; but when the strain of

moulting is over and the supply of fat laid on (all Owls are very

fat in winter) much less food is required ; and Owls, during the

winter and early spring, must often starve for a long time ; and

most of the larger Owls are none the worse for one day’s fast in

the week from October to April.


In feeding Owls it may be taken as a rule that the large

Owls eat much less food in proportion to their size than small

ones. The Scops Owls, who will only exist on exceedingly

digestible food and insects, are enormous eaters, and generally

require feeding twice a day. The Tittle Owl (.Athene noctua ) is

also an enormous eater, but not in any way a delicate bird. It

has been established as a wild species in my neighbourhood for

years, and is quite common, and I have seen individuals sitting

perched on the telegraph wires when going by train in the

middle of a hot midsummer day.



