46 BIRD GALLERY. 



young of game-birds and water-fowl, it is contantly destroyed by 

 game-preservers. The nest, which is made of grass, dry seaweed, etc., 

 was placed in the present instance at the intersection of two sheep- 

 walks, the sheep being obliged to jump over the sitting bird. Three 

 eggs are laid early in May and vary greatly in colour and markings. 

 Island of Mousa, Shetlands, June. 

 Presented by Lieut. G. H, Bruce, R.N. 



No. 122. TAWNY OWL. (Syrnium aluco.) 



This Owl, also known as the Brown or Wood-Owl, is fairly common 

 all over Great Britain wherever there are woods and crags suited to its 

 habits, but it does not appear to be found in Ireland. The nesting- 

 site is very varied, the most usual place being a hollow in the trunk of 

 some decayed tree, but old nests of Rooks, Crows, and other birds are 

 frequently used, while ruins, barns, and disused chimneys are sometimes 

 resorted to, and not infrequently the bare ground under the shelter of 

 fir branches or roots. The eggs, usually three or four in number, are 

 smooth, white, and nearly round in shape, and are sometimes laid as 

 early as the end of February. During the day this species remains 

 concealed, and it appears to dislike the sunlight more than any other 

 British Owl. It preys chiefly on rats, mice, moles, and sometimes on 

 small birds, insects, or surface-swimming fishes. 



Somerset, May. 



Presented by C. B. Horsbrugh, Esq. 



No. 123. LONG-EARED OWL. (Asio otus.) 

 This resident species is generally distributed throughout the wooded 

 districts of Great Britain and Ireland, being especially partial to fir- 

 plantations. It is nocturnal in its habits and feeds principally on small 

 rats, mice, and birds, though beetles and other insects are also eaten. 

 The eggs, which are white and from four to six in number, are usually 

 deposited very early in the year in an old squirrel's drey, or in the* 

 deserted nest of some larger bird, but occasionally they are laid on the 

 ground, at the foot of a hollow tree. 



Norfolk, May. 



Presented by Lord Walsingham, F.B.S. 



No. 124. HERRING-GULL. (Larus argentatus.) 



One of the commonest Gulls on the coasts of the British Islands, 

 breeding wherever precipitous rocks or isolated "stacks*' afford a suitable 

 refuge. Many pairs nest also among the sand-hills on the north 



