294 



THE TAWNY OWL. 



pelled to change her retreat. Where this Owl is nunierous, 

 it may be frequently seen in the dusk of the evening flying 

 silently round the edges of woods, over parks, or round 

 stackyards, in search of its prey, which usually consists of 

 mice, such as the long-tailed field-mouse, the short-tailed 

 field-mouse, the common barn-yard mouse, shrews, moles, 

 rats, beetles, and also small birds. 



Like its congeners, it ejects by the mouth, in the form 

 of elongated pellets, the skin, feathers, fur, and bones of its 

 prey. These pellets are usually found in quantities about 

 the roosting-places of Owls, and an examination of them 

 shows the nature of their food.-^ 



The benefit which this Owl confers upon farmers and 

 landowners, by destroying enormous numbers of mice and 

 other vermin, is very great ; and, as it does little damage to 

 game, it should be protected, and encouraged to increase. 



It is an early breeder, and generally has eggs in March, 

 or in the beginning of April. It usually selects a hole in a 



1 Professor Newton, in giving the following interesting and instructive table, 

 remarks that "the infallibility of the evidence thus afforded as to the food of 

 Owls is as complete as the way of obtaining it, by those who have the oppor- 

 tunity, is simple. Several German naturalists have made some very precise 

 researches on this subject. The following results, with regard to our three com- 

 monest species of Owls, are those afforded by the investigations of Dr. Altum, as 

 communicated by him to the German Ornithologists' Society during its meeting 

 in 1862: — 



* 1 Tree-Creeper, 1 Yellow Bunting, 1 Wagtail, 15 small species undetermined. 



t Species of Titmouse. § 19 Sparrows, 1 Greenfinch, 2 Swifts. 



Besides a countless number of Cockchaff'ers. — Yarrell, History of British Birds, fourth 

 ed., vol. i. pp. 147, 148. 



