TAWNY OWL. 119 



every bird that takes game occasionally is to be 

 destroyed, then is the Tawny Owl doomed to extinction, 

 for there is no doubt it sometimes sins in this way ; Init 

 as it is when their young are being brought up that 

 birds of prey commit the greatest havoc among game, 

 and as this species hatches its eggs very early in the 

 season, it is much less destructive to the preserves than 

 it otherwise would be. It does not build a nest for 

 itself, but oftenest chooses a Carrion-Crow's of a former 

 year, merely adding a few of its own feathers as a lining. 

 The eggs are four in number, and are laid the last week 

 in March or beginning of April ; incubation commencing, 

 as with the other Owls, immediately on the deposition 

 of the first egg. 



GENUS NYCTALA. 



TENGMALM'S OWL. 



Nyctala tengmalmi (J. F. Gmelin). 



With reference to the example mentioned by Professor 

 Newton (" Yarrell's British Birds," 4th ed., vol.i. p. 155) 

 as having been seen by him at Nottingham, Mr. William 

 Felkin, now of Auckland, New Zealand, writes me under 

 date April 18, 1884, enclosing an extract from the 

 account he kept of all the birds in his collection, and 

 which he still has. It runs thus : " Tengmalm's Owl. 

 The specimen in my collection of this bird was obtained 

 by me from a weaver of my acquaintance at Preston, 

 Lancashire. I called on him when passing through, on 

 my way to the Lakes, in the summer of 1851. He 

 brought it in fresh shot near Preston, I think close to 

 Penwortham." The bird is now in the Nottingham 

 Town Museum. 



