CHAPTER III. 



WORKERS ON THE GROUND. 



THE BARN OWL : WHITE OR CHURCH OWL. 

 (Strix Flammea.) 



THE Barn Owl builds no regular nest, but lays its 

 eggs in the walls of ruined castles, on the inner sills of 

 towers, or in the dust and sweepings that collect in the 

 corners of granaries. The clutch consists of five, 

 occasionally seven, longish \vhite eggs. 



This bird likes always to be close to the abode of 

 man ; she likes to make her nest among the rafters 

 of some warm barn and in other farm buildings, 

 or in church tower or belfry ; in hollow trees, a cleft 

 in wall or cliff ; semi-obscure corners, those even in 

 broad daylight. There she sits, putting herself now 

 and again in grotesque positions, and when that facial 

 disk is stirred she appears to be, as the children 

 say, " pulling faces " at you. One of the most 

 industrious of hunters, she catches far more mice than 

 she can devour. It is true she takes the bat, who has 

 his own insect-destroying work to do; and when she has 

 the chance she will cause havoc in the nest of a small 

 bird. But this is only an occasional outbreak, and it 

 must not weigh against the general good record of this 

 most useful species. She takes living prey, and will 

 only touch carrion under extreme stress of hunger. 



