STRIGID AE. 43 
partiality for young Partridges; but, in spite of these 
poaching propensities, one anecdote is told by Yar- 
rell of this bird, which ought to entitle it rather to 
the protection of the gamekeeper than to his perse- 
cution: it is as follows:—A pair of Brown Owls 
brought up their brood in a tree near a Magpie’s 
nest, with which birds they had constant fights; at 
last the remains of the young Magpies were found 
under the Owls’ tree, and in one instance the head 
and feathers of one of the old Magpies. 
The eggs are placed in a hole in a tree, in which 
moss and feathers are collected, but not sufficiently 
arranged to bear the designation of a nest. 
The Brown Owl varies a good deal in plumage, 
according to age and sex. Young birds taken from 
the nest are frightful little balls of grey down, not at 
all resembling the description of her young ones 
given by the Owl to her friend the Eagle, in the 
fable of Lafontaine : 
‘* Mignons 
Beaux bienfaits et jolis sur tous leurs compagnons.” 
In the adult bird the beak is whitish horn-colour ; 
the eyes large ; irides dark blue, almost black; facial 
disk white, mixed with yellowish brown, a few black 
hairs round the beak; feathers forming the edge of 
the disk white, yellowish brown and brown; head 
and neck streaked yellowish brown and dark brown; 
all the upper surface yellowish brown, much streaked 
