84 BRITISH BIRDS. 



RAVENS AS SCAVENGERS. 

 Under this heading (p. 57) Col. Feilden makes some remarks 

 on the former abundance of Ravens in and around London, 

 and their utility as scavengers, quoting Robert Smith's 

 " Universal Directory for Destroying Rats and other 

 Vermin," third edition, 1786. He says : "As I never 

 remember seeing this author quoted, and as some of his 

 descriptions contain valuable information, and as the book 

 itself is not common, I venture to give his note on the 

 Raven." It may therefore interest him and others to 

 know that I mentioned this book and quoted the passage 

 about London Ravens more than five and twenty years ago 

 in an article "On the Ferae Naturae of the London Parks," 

 published in my " Essays on Sport and Natural History," 

 1883. The first edition of Robert Smith's " Directory " 

 was printed in 1768. 



J. E. Harting. 



LITTLE OWL BREEDING IN DERBYSHIRE. 



On May 2nd, 1909, I discovered a clutch of six Owl's eggs in 

 the hollow interior of a tree in Derbyshire. They seemed to 

 be slightly incubated, and though certainly belonging to an 

 Owl, they appeared very small. Neither bird was to be seen, 

 but twenty or more fresh-killed mice were scattered about the 

 interior together with a few feathers, apparently of Finches. 



On revisiting the place a week later, all doubt as to the 

 species was set at rest by finding a Little Owl (Athene noctua) 

 sitting tight upon the eggs. She was fully awake, with wide- 

 opened yellow eyes, but refused to leave the eggs, and might 

 have been taken in the hand. Most of the mice had been 

 eaten, presumably by the sitting bird. 



On June 6th four young had been hatched, ashy-grey in 

 colour. Every scrap of food was now gone, and the nesting 

 cavity was rapidly assuming a very unsavoury condition. On 

 the 13th the young were considerably grown, and varied 

 slightly in size and general development, the oldest giving 

 short sharp snaps to indicate his resentment at interference. 

 By the end of June the young were well feathered and taking 

 short flights, though they still used the nest for roosting, etc. 



I have every reason to believe the birds got safely away. 

 This being, so far as I am aware, the first record of the Little 

 Owl nesting in the county, their success is gratifying, and it is 

 to be hoped that the species will become an addition to the 

 regular Derbyshire breeding list. 



C. H. Wells. 



