STRIGIM. 



on the 17th of May. The nest contained an addled egg 

 and two young birds : these last were of small size, with 

 a soft whitish covering like wool. On the ]6th of June 

 he found two other young birds of the same species which 

 were nearly full grown, but unable to fly. In these young 

 specimens the bill was black ; irides saffron yellow ; pupil 

 bluish black ; the general plumage soft ; the wings dark, 

 with reddish brown spots ; feathers of the breast brick red, 

 with a dark indented longitudinal stripe ; tail-feathers still 

 short, dark, with roundish red spots : feet reddish brown. 

 " Owls have been noticed for an extraordinary attach- 

 ment to their young. An instance in point was witnessed 

 by a Swedish gentleman, who resided several years on a 

 farm near a steep mountain, on the summit of which two 

 Eagle Owls had built their nest, One day in the month 

 of July, a young bird, having quitted the nest, was caught 

 by the servants. This bird was, considering the season of 

 the year, well feathered ; but the down appeared here and 

 there between those feathers which had not yet attained 

 their full growth. After it was caught, it was shut up 

 in a large hencoop, when to his surprise, on the following 

 morning, a fine young Partridge was found lying dead be- 

 fore the door of the coop. It was immediately concluded 

 that this provision had been brought there by the old Owls, 

 which no doubt had been making search in the night-time 

 for their lost young one. And such was, indeed, the fact ; 

 for night after night, for fourteen days, was this same mark 

 of attention repeated. The game which the old ones 

 carried to it consisted chiefly of young Partridges for 

 the most part newly killed, but sometimes a little spoiled. 

 On one occasion, a Moor-fowl was brought, so fresh that 

 it was actually warm under the wings ; and at another time, 

 a putrid stinking lamb was deposited."* 



* Familiar History of Birds, by the Rev. E. Stanley, Bishop of Norwich, 

 vol. i. p. 184. 



