HOOTING OF THE OWL. 261 



among them. They destroy numbers of small leverets, 

 as appears by the legs frequently found in their nests, 

 also young partridges, pheasants, and rabbits.* They 

 kill abundance of moles, and skin them with as much 

 dexterity as a mole-catcher. They build in hollow trees 

 or ruined edifices, and lay four eggs of an elliptic form, 

 and of a whitish colour. ]Many persons are very supersti- 

 tious respecting the hooting of the brown owl at night. 

 A near connexion of mine fancies when she hears 

 this bird's discordant notes at night that it prog- 

 nosticates some fatal event in the family ; and many 

 suppose it foretells a death if the owl should flap its 

 wings against the mndows of their house. St. John 

 says : " I knew an instance where the owls were nearly 

 destroyed by pole-traps, placed about the fields for the 

 destruction of them and the hawks, that the rats and 

 mice increased to such an extent- on the disappearance 

 of these their worst enemies, and committed such havoc 

 among the nursery gardens and plantations, that the pro- 

 prietors were obliged to have all the pole-traps taken 

 down, and the owls having been allowed to increase again, 

 the rats and mice quickly disappeared." 



The wings of the owl are lined with small soft fea- 

 thers, which makes his flight inaudible even on a still 

 night, and thus he is enabled to approach his prey be- 

 fore they are aware of his nightly attack, so that rats, 

 mice, and moles are without much difficiJty made his 

 victims. WTien in the pursuit of these small animals 

 his flight is near the ground, which empowers him to 



* Abro-mi owl's nest was found, ]VIay 1858, at Whitney Court, Wilts, 

 the residence of C. Giles, Esq., which contained, besides the old bird, 

 thi-ee young ones, five small leverets, four young rabbits, three thrushes, 

 and a trout weighing nearly half a pound. 

 s 3 



