PLATE II 

 TAWNY OWL. Syrnium aluco 



April 29///, 1896. The old tree depicted in this Plate has been the nesting- 

 place of a Tawny Owl for many years. I found young birds in the hole in 

 1884, and it has been tenanted every year since then. The nest is half-way 

 along the horizontal limb to the right of the main trunk, and has two 

 entrances, one from the main trunk and the other near the end of the limb 

 itself. In 1895 a Jackdaw built its nest in the end next the trunk, and stopped 

 up that end of the branch with sticks, so that there was no communication 

 between its nest and that of the Owl. Both nests were occupied in 1896 and 

 1897, an d the inmates appear quite friendly. The eggs are laid in a slight 

 hollow on the rotten wood, about four feet from either entrance, so that they 

 cannot be reached by the hand, a fact which has perhaps saved them from 

 many a youthful collector. 



