THE LITTLE OWL. 59 



water. Thinking that she had fallen in epilepsy, my first thoughts 

 were to go and fetch the boat ; but before I had well got to the 

 end of the bridge, I saw the Owl rise out of the water with a fish 

 in her claws, and take it to the nest." 



The same author states that when this bird has young, " it 

 will bring a mouse to its nest about every twelve or fifteen 

 minutes. But in order to have a proper idea of the enormous 

 quantity of mice which it destroys, we must examine the pellets 

 which it ejects from its stomach in the place of its retreat. Every 

 pellet contains from four to seven skeletons of mice. In sixteen 

 months from the time when the apartment of the Owl in the old 

 gateway was cleaned out, there has been a deposit of above a 

 bushel of pellets." 



" The shriek of the White Owl," continues MACGILLIVRAY, 

 after quoting the above, " occasionally heard at night, and usually 

 in solitary places, which few persons enter without some feeling 

 of awe, has given to it a kind of mysterious character with the 

 vulgar ; and it must be confessed that, independently of any 

 superstitious feeling, its cry coming unexpectedly on the ear, in 

 a church-yard, or among the crumbling ruins of some monastery 

 or castle, is little calculated to inspire pleasant feelings. The 

 White Owl has no other cry, except the hissing noise which it 

 makes. The snoring sou-nd heard from its nest is, MB. WATEBTON 

 informs us, the cry of the young for food." 



3. THE LITTLE OWL. 



Strix Passsrina, LIN. Cheveche, ou Petite Chouette, BUF. Der kleine 

 Kauz oder die Zwergeule, BBCH. 



Description. This bird is not much bigger than a Eock 

 Thrush, though its thick head and close feathers make it appear 

 larger than it really is. Its length is eight inches, of which 

 the tail measures three inches. The folded wings reach al- 

 most to the end of the tail ; the beak is nine lines long, brown 

 at the root, and light yellow at the point ; the iris pale yellow, 

 though in winter inclining to green ; the feet one inch and a 

 quarter high ; the claws blackish ; the upper part of the body 

 is light brown, with round white spots, which are largest upon 

 the shoulders and back ; the under part white, speckled with 

 dark brown, slightly mixed with rust colour ; the quill feathers 

 are dark brown, with round white spots ; the tail light brown 

 with similar spots, though larger and rust coloured, and run- 

 ning together almost like stripes. The female is somewhat 

 lighter in colour. 



