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quarrel; but tlieir aviary was large, with plenty of secluded nooks, so that

each Owl could select its own home without any bad feeling being aroused.


But you must be judicious when feeding them. If you should have

one mouse, and toss it down to the Long-eared Owl, the Brown Owl (if a

good specimen) would at once dart down, and a battle might be expected.

Cut the mouse in halves, toss a half to each, helping the most savage of the

two birds first.


Remember that both these Owls are nocturnal, and should have dark

corners in which to pass the day. Fix up a stout perch in every dark

corner; a natural bough with the bark on is best, with all small side boughs

removed ; the higher it is fixed up the better. They should be fed towards

evening, and remains of food should be removed in the morning.


Feed on mice (field mice or voles from preference, but house mice

will do very well), rats, birds, baby rabbits, — almost any small creature

including beetles, etc. When these fail, buy a rabbit and cut it up, giving

the skt/i and fur as well as the meat. Also get fowls’ heads, necks, etc.,

from the poulterer. When these fail, you must fall back upon raw meat in

some form or another. But you must bear in mind that they must have fur

or feather, which eventually they will eject in the form of castings. If you

neglect this, not only will their health decline, but one, impelled by an

irresistible craving, might even hurl itself upon the other for the sake of

the “feather.” If the worst comes to the worst, roll up small pieces of raw

meat in fine feathers of any kind, and place in their house.


If they leave much food until the morning, or seem to be getting fat

and lazy from over-eating, cut the supply a little short. Experienced

persons tell us to starve them one day a week. Personally I have never

gone quite so far as that—-but perhaps I am wrong.


Supply fresh, clean water every evening, both for drinking and

bathing purposes. If they should seem at all disposed to be quarrelsome,

give a separate bathing pan to each bird. Rkginald PhillippS.



THE AGE OF BIRDS.


Sir, — The age of birds, especially in a wild state, is a matter about

which little or no reliable evidence can be found, so that I think the follow¬

ing note from Country Life worth inserting in the Magazine.


“Sir, — Your correspondent may be interested in the story of a Robin that built in

Bristol Cathedral for fifteen years. It usually perched on one of the pinnacles of the

great organ during divine service, and would occasionally accompany the solemn strains

of the music with its clear, trilling voice. It was so tame as to follow the verger to be fed.

It died during the severe winter of 1889, and the minor canon of the cathedral, Mr. Samuel

Love, composed a poem on it, a copy of which I have. — B. A.”


There is 110 positive proof that through the fifteen years it was the

same individual, but as it became tame enough to follow the verger there

is great presumptive evidence that it was, as a fresh bird would have

required coaxing, which could not fail to have been noticed.


Of course the idea with which the note was originally written,

although very interesting as a subject, does not have much point in the

present instance. The pinnacle of the organ was probably chosen as being

the most convenient perch when the church was full of people, and the

‘accompanying of the strains of music ’ is a common occurrence with most

birds, which love to sing when a noise, not necessarily musical, is made.



