LITTLE OWL, 33 



LITTLE OWL. 

 Carine noctua. 



I HAVE an immature specimen in my possession, which I first 

 saw in the flesh at a poulterer's in Brighton Market, in July 

 1843. He told me that it was shot by a boy at Sheffield Park, 

 Fletching. I went over there and saw the said boy, who told 

 me that he was lying down in an orchard, having been em- 

 ployed to keep birds off" the corn, when he saw the Owl in an 

 apple-tree. He had a gun and powder, but no shot. He 

 said the bird kept making faces at him, and he couldn't 

 stand that, and so, having some tin tacks in his pocket, he 

 loaded his gun with them, and shot it. He gave it to his 

 father, who, instead of taking it to his missus to make a 

 j)udding, as a Sussex man would be very likely to do, sent it 

 by carrier to Brighton Market. 



I have another example which was taken on the evening 

 of March 27thj 1871, by a man who saw it fly into a rabbit's 

 burrow in Holmbush Park, near Horsham. He dug the bird 

 out and sold it to a birdstufter in the town, who killed and 

 mounted it. The sex was unfortunately not ascertained. 

 I recorded this capture in the 'Zoologist' (p. 5988), and 

 that notice is also mentioned in Yarrell's ' British Birds ' 

 (ed. 4, p. 155), but unfortunately I recorded it as Tengmalm's 

 Oivl, an error which I much regret, and take this opportunity 

 of correcting. Mr. Pratt, of Brighton, shoAved me on March 

 16th, 1877, a Little Owl, which is recorded in the ' Zoolo- 

 gist ' (p. 228) as obtained at Shoreham, shot in an orchard 

 close to the town. This came into my possession, and also 

 another, caught alive in an outbuilding near Newtimber, in 

 April of the same year. 



I was told by Sir Walter Burrell, Bart., that, finding them 



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