212 The Natural History of Selborne 



We have had, ever since I can remember, a pair of white owls 

 that constantly breed under the eaves of this church. As I have 

 paid good attention to the manner of life of these birds during 

 their season of breeding, which lasts the summer through, the 

 following remarks may not perhaps be unacceptable : About an 

 hour before sunset (for then the mice begin to run) they sally forth 

 in quest of prey, and hunt all round the hedges of meadows and 

 small enclosures for them, which seem to be their only food. In 

 this irregular country we can stand on an eminence and see them 

 beat the fields over like a setting-dog, and often drop down in the 

 grass or corn. I have minuted these birds with my watch for an 

 hour together, and have found that they return to their nest, the 

 one or the other of them, about once in five minutes ; reflecting 

 at the same time on the adroitness that every animal is possessed 

 of as far as regards the well-being of itself and offspring. But a 

 piece of address, which they show when they return loaded, should 

 not, I think, be passed over in silence. As they take their prey 

 with their claws, so they carry it in their claws to their nest ; but, 

 as the feet are necessary in their ascent under the tiles, they con- 

 stantly perch first on the roof of the chancel, and shift the mouse 

 from their claws to their bill, that their feet may be at liberty to 

 take hold of the plate on the wall as they are rising under the eaves. 



White owls seem not (but in this I am not positive) to hoot at 

 all ; all that clamorous hooting appears to me to come from the 

 wood kinds. The white owl does indeed snore and hiss in a tre- 

 mendous manner ; and these menaces well answer the intention of 

 intimidating ; for I have known a whole village up in arms on such 

 an occasion, imagining the churchyard to be full of goblins and 

 spectres. White owls also often scream horribly as they fly along ; from 

 this screaming probably arose the common people's imaginary species 

 of screech-owl, which they superstitiously think attends the windows of 

 dying persons. The plumage of the remiges of the wings of every 

 species of owl that I have yet examined is remarkably soft and 

 pliant. Perhaps it may be necessary that the wings of these birds 

 should not make much resistance or rushing, that they may be enabled 

 to steal through the air unheard upon a nimble and watchful quarry. 



