^8 ACCIPITRES. STRIGID^. 



bird sometimes stood up on them, but more usually 

 rested on the whole sole, in an upright, but most 

 grotesque attitude. The clothing down was of the 

 purest white, except that in a few parts, as the back 

 of the head and neck, the shoulders, and the elbow of 

 the wing, it was slightly tinged with a delicate buff, 

 hardly discernible. He was a very cross fellow, 

 biting spitefully at everything presented to him, and 

 sometimes at the boards around him, without any 

 provocation ; but the beak, though sharp and hooked, 

 was not moved by sufficient muscular power to hurt 

 the hand. He was almost constantly hissing ; par- 

 ticularly, but not only, when approached, giving out 

 a sound, that for character, and really almost for 

 volume, may be likened to that produced by the 

 rushing forth of steam from the waste-pipe of an 

 engine. While I was bringing him home, he dis- 

 charged from the stomach a hard and very dry pellet, 

 an inch in diameter, and about three in length, com- 

 posed of rats' hair and bones, showing that he was 

 habitually fed with prey as taken, perhaps simply 

 divided, and not with half-digested matter from the 

 stomach of the mother. I found, however, that 

 though it would bite at any object, it had no notion 

 of eating ; a bit of flesh seized in the beak being 

 invariably dropped in a second or two. I therefore 

 crammed it, giving it portions of the bodies of small 

 birds and lizards, forcing them into its throat ; an 

 operation the less difficult, as the gullet is enormous. 

 The portions remained in the fauces for a few 

 moments, and were then swallowed. When standing 

 up, or sitting, gazing with apparent curiosity at any 



