186 OWLS. 



one moonlight night, he stationed himself, gun-in- 

 hand, close to the dove-house, for the purpose of 

 shooting the Owls. He had not taken his station 

 long, before he saw one of them flying out ^with a 

 prize in his claws ; he pulled his^trigger, and down 

 came the poor bird, but, instead of finding the car- 

 case of a young Pigeon, he found an old rat nearly 

 dead.. Mr. "VYaterton met with a similar proof. He 

 was one evening sitting under a shed, watching for 

 rats, when he killed a very large one, as it was 

 coming out of its hole, about ten yards distant. He 

 did not immediately go to take it up, hoping to get 

 another shot ; when in a short time, a Barn- Owl 

 pounced down, and flew away with it. 



But there is another food of which Owls partake, 

 little guessed at we suspect by many, namely, fish. 

 The great Snowy Owl above-mentioned is known to 

 be a regular fishing-bird. Motionless as the rock on 

 which he sits, he waits patiently till a fish passes, 

 when, with the rapidity of a shot, he seizes it with 

 his claws; but, although asserted by some naturalists, 

 it had never been quite proved that the common 

 Owls were also fish-catchers ; but the fact has been 

 now confirmed by the testimony of more than one 

 credible witness. Some years ago several young 

 Owls had been taken from a nest, and placed in a 

 yew-tree near a gentleman's house. In this situation 

 it was observed that the parent birds repeatedly 

 brought them live fish, such as bull-heads and 

 loaches, which had evidently been taken from a 

 neighbouring brook, in which these species abounded. 

 At subsequent times, bones of the same fish were 

 frequently found lying under the trees on which the 



