OWLS. 163 



Some idea may be formed of the number of mice de- 

 stroyed by a pair of Barn-Owls, when it is known that in 

 the short space of twenty minutes the old birds carried 

 food to their young twelve times, thus destroying at 

 least nearly forty mice every hour during the time they 

 continue hunting ; and as young Owls remain long in 

 the nest, many hundreds of mice must be destroyed in 

 the course of rearing them. 



If taken young they may be tamed, so far as to eat 

 out of the hand, and become to a certain degree fa- 

 miliar; but in their wild state even, they seem to be 

 sensible of kindness, and lose much of their shyness if 

 never disturbed. A gentleman in Yorkshire, Mr. Wa- 

 terton, who has paid great attention to their habits, 

 gives a very interesting account of their mode of life. 

 He made a sort of dwelling for them, about four feet 

 square, on the ruins of an old gateway, and trained some 

 ivy round about, which soon concealed it. In the stone- 

 work he fixed a thick oaken stick for them to perch 

 upon. In about a month after everything was ready, a 

 pair of Barn-Owls came and established themselves there. 

 This succeeded so well, that he formed some other 

 similar places, all of which were in like manner soon 

 occupied by pairs of Owls. That in the old gateway 

 was so contrived that he could examine it whenever he 

 pleased; and as they were never injured, the Owls soon 

 grew confident, and betrayed no fear when strangers 

 mounted a ladder to look in. One rather unexpected 

 piece of information was learned from constant inspec- 

 tion, namely, that these birds, unlike others, seem to 

 breed at all seasons, as he found a young brood hatched 

 in September, and another in December; and he adds, 

 that he considers himself as amply repaid for the pains 

 he has taken in protecting and encouraging his Barn- 

 Owls; conceiving that it pays him a hundred-fold by 

 the enormous quantity of mice destroyed throughout 

 the year. Many, however, condemn them on account 

 of the ravages they commit in pigeon-houses, by carry- 



M2 



