EAGLE OWL. 55 



RAPTORS S. STRIGID^E. 



THE EAGLE OWL. 



BUBO MAXIMUS. 



CHIEFLY met with in the Orkney and Shetland islands, where, 

 however, it is of very rare and uncertain occurrence. 



The late Patrick Neill, Secretary to the Natural History Society 

 of Edinburgh, has the following note in his " Birds of Orkney," 

 published in 1806: "In addition to Dr Barry's account (which is 

 extremely meagre), it may be added that the Eagle Owl often 

 attacks rabbits and red grouse, which are abundant in several of 

 the islands. Katugle is the Norwegian name." 



Messrs Baikie and Heddle state that this bird, which is the Stock 

 Owl mentioned by Wallace, is "now extremely rare. Low, though 

 he speaks of it, never saw a specimen. Since then, however, one 

 was killed in Sandy, by Mr Strang, in 1830. It is occasionally 

 said to be seen in Raasay, and is believed still to breed in the 

 Hammers of Birsay." 



Pennant mentions in his "Tour in Scotland" (8vo. ed., 1772) 

 that a specimen was killed in Fifeshire, but no locality or date is 

 given. 



Dr Saxby says it is " now rarely seen in Shetland." 



Such were the very scanty notes I had gleaned respecting the 

 occurrence of this splendid Owl in Scotland previous to the receipt 

 of the following interesting notice of its capture in Aberdeenshire, 

 kindly forwarded to me by my correspondent, Mr Angus : 



" Mr John Wilson, Methlick, has just sent me word that on the 

 2d February, 1866, while out shooting, he saw an Eagle Owl, of 

 which he says: 'It flew very low, keeping close to the ground, rising 

 and falling in beautiful undulations over the uneven surface. I 

 saw it from a considerable distance, and in the grey dawn of the 

 morning thought it was a heron. I could have easily reached the 

 point to which it was Hying, but as I did not want a specimen 

 (herons being plentiful in this locality), I let it go. Some doubts, 

 however, having occurred to me at this moment, I made a rush 

 upon the bird, and got near enough to discover my mistake. It 

 did not diverge in the least in its flight at my approach, and I 

 might after all have killed it, but trusted to a better opportunity. 

 After this it was often seen about Haddo House, and always in 



