BARN OWL. 35 



p. 53, gives an iustance of a similar specimen killed near 



Norwich^ December 13th, 1864 He adds it is rather 



rare in all parts of Denmark. . . These Danish birds, as they 

 are called_, have, I suspect, come across from the continent. 

 . . . Mr. Hancock states^ in his ' Birds of Northumberland ' 

 (p. 21), that an example was shot in his district a few years 

 ago/' Subsequently (p. 270), in a paper by Mr. R. Bowdler 

 Sharpe, there may be found : — " There are therefore three 

 occurrences of the Danish Barn-Owl in England, all of them 

 having taken place on the eastern and south-eastern coasts. 

 . . . But announcements of Danish Barn-Owls in England 

 must be received with extreme caution, as our own species 

 has a natural dark phase, which scarcely differs from the 

 ordinary bird of the continent of Europe, and I believe that 

 a thorough examination of the Barn-Owls of all countries 

 would show that in every district [here he excepts a few 

 localities afterwards mentioned] both phases are found in 

 equal proportions. I must observe at least, that several 

 examples, killed in England recently, and brought to me as 

 Danish Barn-Owls, have not been so really, but have turned 

 out to be the dark phase of our resident bird.^' 



There is the following footnote (p. 270) : — " Another, 

 probably a male, was taken alive, in the same dovecote Feb. 

 2nd, 1876.— G. D. R." 



d3 



