NOTES. 337 



whirring and dipping flight characteristic of the species, and 

 bobbed its disapproval of my intrusion from the top of a 

 neighbouring post. Several searches during April and May 

 failed to reveal the distinguished stranger again, but on June 

 22nd, after a month's absence from Portsmouth, I again 

 found him near the same part of the quarry. Suspecting a 

 nest, I made a careful search, but could find nothing more than 

 a number of castings and remains of small birds in various 

 holes and corners, until July 3rd, when the single Owl was 





LITTLE OWLS IN A QUARRY NEAR PORTSMOUTH. 



(From a sketch by Commander Lynes.) 



again seen, and I came upon what had obviously been the 

 nest, in a hole twenty feet above the floor of the quarry, and 

 usually occupied by Stock-Doves. Here was a perfect 

 golgotha of " remains," principally those of Starlings, 

 Sparrows and mice, intermixed with fur- and feather-castings 

 — but empty, the bird was not there. On July 16th, for the 

 first time, two Owls were seen together, and a Stock-Dove 

 had placed a platform of twigs on top of the Owl's nest 



