02 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Attentions to the young. 



door of the coop. He immediately concluded 

 that this provision had been brought thither by 

 the old owls; which he supposed had been mak- 

 ing 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 re- 

 peated fourteen nights successively. The game 

 which the old ones carried to it consisted chiefly 

 of young partridges, for the most part newly 

 killed, but sometimes a little spoiled. One day 

 a moor-fowl was brought, so fresh that it was still 

 warm under the wings. A putrescent lamb was 

 also found, at another time; which had probably 

 been spoiled by lying long in the nest of the old 

 owls; and it is supposed that they brought it 

 merely because they had no better provision at 

 the time. M. Cronstedt and his servant watched 

 at a window several nights, that they might ob- 

 serve, if possible, when this supply was deposited. 

 Their plan did not succeed : but it appeared that 

 these 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 disconti- 

 nued this attendance; but at that period all birds 

 of prey abandon their young to their own exer- 

 tions. From this instance it may be readily 





