504 Mr. E. Gibson on the Ornithology of [Ibis, 



to the almost total abandonment of the Tala woods. The 

 nests are practically inaccessible (at the summit of the 

 Eucalyptus) ; nor can fire be employed for their destruction 

 without the risk of ruining the trees — the Eucalyptus 

 being highly combustible. Occasionally a regular battue is 

 organized with half a dozen guns and maintained for a 

 couple of days, but such sporadic efforts are necessarily only 

 temporary, of limited effect, and expensive. So the Cotorra 

 has come into its own again, and flourishes accordingly. 

 Average measurement of eggs, 29 x 21 mm. 



286. Strix flammea auct. Common Barn-Owl. 



It would be difficult to say when the Barn-Owl first gained 

 a footing — or, more accurately speaking, found a roof-tree — 

 in this district. There are scores of admirable situations 

 amongst our old Tala trees (cavities and hollows), as if 

 specially designed for seclusion and nesting-sites ; but it is 

 obvious that the abundant and ubiquitous opossum would 

 render these advantages utterly nugatory. Nor at present 

 have I succeeded in seeing it established in any barns or 

 lofts o£ the head-station. A tradition has it that away back 

 about 1860 — on a fire being lit in the Yngleses dwelling- 

 house at the beginning of winter-^an Owl was brought 

 down the chimney (doubtless of this species). In later 

 times, I think 1900, I was told that an Owl's nest had 

 been found on the top of a haystack, underneath the 

 ''Dutch roof." Bat so far, at present, it is necessary to 

 go farther — not a-field, but a-town — to look for it. The 

 church-tower of the neighbouring town of General Lavalle 

 harbours a pair, and there are others in various old disused 

 buildings and iu a large cattle-killing establishment (now 

 closed) where it can be seen flying from beam to beam. 

 And it is from there undoubtedly that it has spread to 

 Linconia estancia (a couple of miles away) — the manager 

 of which told me in 1913 that there was " quite a colony " 

 in the roof of the dairy. 



The preceding notes constitute at present all the infor- 

 mation I have been able to gather regarding the species. 



