138 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



Young rabbits, rats, mice, moles, small birds, and the 

 larger sorts of night insects, and even fish, are indiscrim- 

 inately captured, and either devoured on the spot or taken 

 home to the family larder. On these expeditions, which 

 are usually tolerably methodical in their order, fields, farm- 

 steads, low hedges, the outskirts of woods, plantations, and 

 similar places, are carefully scrutinised, and the bird or 

 quadruped must indeed be motionless and diminutive that 

 escapes the searching gaze of this wanderer of the night. 



The Tawny Owl does not chase its prey after the 

 manner of the hawk or falcon, but seizes it suddenly 

 and unawares. The flight is somewhat slow and heavy, 

 and, owing to the soft, downy character of the plumage, 

 is perfectly silent ; the bird is thus enabled to approach 

 and secure its victim with ease and certainty. 



A hole in a tree is the spot most commonly selected as 

 a nesting place. No great care or attention is devoted to 

 the nest itself, which consists of a few pieces of moss, straw, 

 hay, and soft feathers. Nesting usually commences in 

 March, and the young owls are hatched in the following 

 month. Two, three, four, and sometimes five eggs are 

 laid; they are nearly two inches in length, and about 

 one inch and three-quarters in breadth, and nearly 

 round ; the surface is rather rough, and the colour a dull 

 white. 



The young birds are very odd-looking customers at first, 

 being entirely covered with a soft white down, which be- 

 comes grey, and their powers of vision are extremely defec- 

 tive ; indeed, for the first few days it is probable that they 

 are quite blind. They remain a considerable time in the 

 nest, and, after leaving it, perch about among the adjacent 

 branches, where they are assiduously attended to by their 



