STRIGID^. 9 



species, which had been caught when young ; it 

 would hop upon his shoulder, sit upon the table 

 while the family were at breakfast, eat from his 

 hand, and had become quite domesticated. 



The White Owl is a great benefactor to man, and 

 shame on him who ruthlessly destroys one of these 

 creatures. It is well known that they do Infinitely 

 more good than harm, as their prey consists of 

 common mice, shrews, young rats, insects, and occa- 

 sionally small birds — never aspiring to game, as is 

 supposed. In the spring of 1866, an owl laid two 

 eggs upon some loose hay In a dilapidated old shed, 

 which used to stand by the side of the river Thames 

 near Eton. The old bird was surprised one even- 

 ing sitting upon her eggs, and permitted herself to 

 be quietly captured by a boy. In this case there 

 were no signs of a nest — the two eggs were merely 

 laid upon the top of the hay. 



Mr. A. Collins, to whom I have before referred, 

 told me that a pair of these owls always nested in 

 the hollow fork of an old elm-tree stretching over 

 an arbour at Betterton, Wantage. One spring, on 

 paying them a visit, he found some impudent jack- 

 daws had driven them into the inmost recesses of 

 the branch, and deposited their own eggs in the poor 

 owls' original nest. He immediately smashed the 

 jackdaws' eggs, as a warning, and after that, the 

 birds of wisdom were unmolested, and continued 

 to occupy their old quarters. 



