FEEDING OF THE YOUNG. 201 



found in the nest three young rabbits that had been 

 brought to this young one by the cock during the 

 night*." 



M. Cronstedt, the mineralogist, " resided several 

 years at a farm in Sudermania, near a steep moun- 

 tain, on the summit of which two eagle-owls had 

 their nest. One day in the month of July, a young 

 owl, having quitted the nest, was seized by some of 

 his servants. This bird, after it was caught, was 

 shut up in a large hen-coop ; and the next morning 

 M. Cronstedt found a young partridge lying dead 

 before the door of the coop. He immediately con- 

 cluded that this provision had been brought thither 

 by the parent birds ; which, he supposed, had been 

 making search in the night-time for their lost young 

 one, and had been led to the place of its confine- 

 ment by its cry. This proved to have been the case 

 by the same mark of attention being repeated for 

 fourteen successive nights. The game which the 

 old ones carried to it consisted principally of young 

 partridges, for the most part newly-killed, but some- 

 times a little spoiled. One day a moor-fowl was 

 brought, so fresli that it was still warm under the 

 wings. A putrid lamb was found at another time. 

 M. Cronstedt and his servant watched at a window 

 several nights, that they might observe, if possible, 

 when this supply was deposited. Their plan did not 

 succeed ; but it appeared that the owls, which are 

 very sharp-sighted, had discovered the moment when 

 the window was not watched, as food was found to 

 have been deposited before the coop one night when 

 this had been the case. In the month of August 

 the parents discontinued this attention ; but at that 

 period all birds of prey abandon their offspring to 

 their own exertions. From this instance some idea 

 may be formed of the great quantity of game that 

 * Anim.^Biogr. ii. 216, sixth edit. 



