Q I When brown owls hoot, their throats swell as 



big as an hen's egg. 



When owls fly, they stretch out their legs behind 

 them, as a balance to their large heavy heads ; for, as most nocturnal 

 birds have large eyes and ears, they must have large heads to 

 contain them. Large eyes, I presume, are necessary to collect 

 every ray of light, and large concave ears to command the smallest 

 degree of sound or noise. 



Having some acquaintance with a tame brown owl, I find that it 

 casts up the fur of mice and the feathers of birds in pellets, after the 

 manner of hawks ; when full, like a dog, it hides what it cannot eat. 



The young of the barn-owl are not easily raised, as they want a 

 constant supply of fresh mice; whereas the young of the brown 

 owl will eat indiscriminately all that is brought : snails, rats, 

 kittens, puppies, magpies, and any kind of carrion or offal. 



A neighbour of mine, who is said to have a nice ear, remarks 

 that the owls about this village hoot in three different keys, in G 

 flat or F sharp, in B flat and A flat He heard two hooting to each 

 other, the one in A flat and the other in B fiat. G. W. 



