THE EAGLE OWL. 91 



frame, evince an obvious departure from the cha- 

 racter of the falcons and hawks, and an approach 

 to those birds of night which have not unaptly 

 been termed the moths of the feathered race. 



The eagle owl (Bubo maximus) is said by Mon- 

 tagu, Yarrell and Jenyns, to have been met with 

 in Sussex : such high authority is of course suffi- 

 cient to entitle it to a place in our local Fauna ; 

 but although I have not been able to ascertain a 

 second instance of its occurrence here in the wild 

 state, I cannot refrain from alluding to the unri- 

 valled living collection of these magnificent birds 

 at Arundel Castle, existing in a condition more 

 nearly approaching to a state of nature than, I 

 believe, ever before fell to the lot of any animal 

 which had been partially deprived of its liberty by 

 man. They inhabit a considerable space circum- 

 scribed by the massive ivy-covered walls of the 

 old Donjon keep, into the deep fissures of which 

 they retire to rest during the broad day, and 

 emerge from these recesses on the approach of 

 evening. The fact that these owls have here not 

 only performed the duties of incubation, but even 

 reared their young occasionally the only instance, 

 I believe, on record of any bird of prey breeding 

 when deprived of its liberty would alone prove 

 their perfect reconciliation to the very qualified 

 captivity to which they are subjected. 



