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182 BIRD GALLERY. 
young of game-birds and water-fowl, it is constantly destroyed by 
game-preservers. The nest, which is made of grass, dry seaweed, ete., 
was placed in the present instance at the intersection of two sheep- 
walks, the sheep being obliged to jump over the sitting bird. Three 
eggs are laid early in May and vary greatly in colour and markings. 
Island of Mousa, Shetlands, June. 
Presented by Lieut. G. H. Bruce, RN. 
No. 122. TAWNY OWL. (Syrnium aluco.) 
This Owl, also known as the Brown or Wood-Owl, is fairly common 
all over Great Britain wherever there are woods and crags suited to its 
habits, but it does not appear to be found in Ireland. The nesting- 
site is very varied, the most usual place being a hollow in the trunk of 
some decayed tree, but old nests of Rooks, Crows, and other birds are 
frequently used, while ruins, barns, and disused chimneys are sometimes 
resorted to, and not infrequently the bare ground under the shelter of 
fir branches or roots. The eggs, usually three or four in number, are 
smooth, white, and nearly round in shape, and sometimes laid as early as 
the end of February. During the day this species remains concealed, and 
it appears to dislike the sunlight more than any other British Owl. It 
preys chiefly on rats, mice, moles, and sometimes on small birds, insects, 
or surface-swimming fishes, 
Somerset, May. 
Presented by C. B. Horsbrugh, Esq. 
No. 123. LONG-EARED OWL. (Asio otus.) 
This resident species is generally distributed throughout the wooded 
districts of Great Britain and Ireland, being especially partial to fir- 
plantations. It is nocturnal in its habits and feeds principally on small 
rats, mice, and birds, though beetles and other insects are also eaten. 
The eggs, which are white and from four to six in number, are usually 
deposited very early in the year in an old squirrel’s drey, or in the 
deserted nest of some larger bird, but occasionally they are laid on the 
ground, at the foot of a hollow tree. 
Norfolk, May. 
Presented by Lord Walsingham. 
No, 124, HERRING-GULL. (Larus argentatus.) 
One of the commonest Gulls on the coasts of the British Islands, 
breeding wherever precipitous rocks or isolated “ stacks ” afford a suitable 
refuge. Many pairs nest also among the sand-hills on the north- 
