32 BRITISH BIRDS' EGGS. 



every twelve or fifteen minutes. Occasionally it is said to 

 carry off rats, and has been known to catch fish. " When 

 farmers complain that the Barn Owl destroys the eggs of 

 their pigeons," remarks Mr. Waterton, " they lay the saddle 

 on the wrong horse. They ought to put it on the rat. 

 Formerly I could get very few young pigeons, till the rats 

 were excluded effectually from the dovecot. Since that 

 took place, it has produced a great abundance every year, 

 though the Barn Owls frequent it and are encouraged all 

 around it. The Barn Owl merely resorts to it for repose 

 and concealment. If it were really an enemy to the dove- 

 cot, we should see the pigeons in commotion as soon as it 

 begins its evening flight; but the pigeons heed it not; 

 whereas, if the Sparrow-hawk or Hobby should make its 

 appearance, the whole community would be up at once: 

 proof sufficient that the Barn Owl is not looked upon as a 

 bad, or even a suspicious, character by the inhabitants of 

 the dovecot." 



THE AMERICAN MOTTLED OWL. Strix asio. In Mr. 

 Yarrell's second supplement to his ' History of British 

 Birds/ he records the appearance of a pair of these birds in 

 1852, at a few miles from Leeds. One of the two birds 

 was shot and preserved, but the other was subsequently 



