The Barn Owl. 



-BIRDS.- 



-TiiE Javanese Owl. 



271 



has the facial discs complete, that is to sa}', they entire! y 

 surround the eyes ; and the two discs meet in the 

 middle of the face in sucli a manner as to form a straight 

 ridge, running upwards from the heak. The whole 

 upper surface of the bird is of a light reddish-yellow 

 colour, minutely mottled with asliy grey, and marked 

 \vith combined small black and white spots ; the facial 

 discs and the whole of the lower parts are white, the 

 latter sometimes marked witli a few dusky spots. The 

 tail feathers are of the same colour as the upper surface, 

 but marked with five transverse grey bars ; the beak 

 is nearly white, and the claws brown. 



Unlike most of the owls to which we have previously 

 referred, the Barn Owl does not take up his residence in 

 the wilder parts of the country, but approaches boldly 

 to the dwelling-places of man, and seeks his food in the 

 midst of towns and villages, and in the cultivated fields 

 surrounding them. His chosen retreat is some dark 

 hole or corner of an old building, the tower of a church, 

 or the roof of a barn ; sometimes, however, he takes up 

 liis quarters in a hollow tree. Strict]}' nocturnal in his 

 habits, he passes the whole day in his retreat, dozing 

 away the bright hours, whose glare would be insup- 

 portable to his eyes ; and if by any chance he is driven 

 from his concealment at this time, he is so dazzled by 

 the unwonted hglit as to become quite bemldered and 

 helpless. To add to this misfortune when it happens, 

 all the small birds within reach make a point of attacking 

 him whenever he appears abroad during the period 

 of their activity, and the rmfortunate owl gets no rest 

 until he reaches some friend)}' shelter. Even when he 

 has resorted to a wood, in order to enjoy his day's rest 

 under the shadowof the thick foliage, he does not always 

 escape the malevolence of his little tormentors ; should 

 a small bird discover him, the alarm is immediately 

 given, and in a very short time the owl is surrounded 

 by a troop of vociferous enemies. But when the sun 

 goes down in the west, and the twilight begins to enve- 

 lope the face of nature with its dusky mantle, the owl 

 assumes a very different character ; from being the sport 

 of the weakest inliabitants of the grove, he becomes a 

 tyrant, and, gliding forth on noiseless pinions, goes to 

 seek his prey. He may then be seen dashing round 

 the stacks and buildings in the farm-yard, perching now 

 and then upon a cart or waggon, or skimming rapidly 

 over the fields and along the hedgerows, carr}'ing 

 destruction to all the weaker creatures which venture 

 forth at night. The moment he perceives his prey 

 upon the ground, he drops suddenly down, seizes it in 

 his claws, and uttering a shrill cry, or screech, flies off 

 with it to his nest. In this way rats and mice of all 

 kinds, and other small mammalia, including even very 

 young hares and rabbits, are captured by this noctur- 

 ual marauder, who also destroys larks and other small 

 birds which may be met with on the gi-ound. He often 

 catches the moths and beetles which fly so abundantly 

 during the summer evenings, and, according to INIr. 

 Waterton, wU also capture fish, by diving boldly into 

 the water. But the principal food of the Barn Owl 

 undoubtedly consists of the mice of different species, 

 whicli abound to such an extent about the stack-yards 

 and corn-fields, and these, when captured for the owl's 

 personal benefit, are generally swallowed whole, some- 



times without even their bones being broken. Tliese, 

 and other indigestible parts of all its prey, are afterwards 

 collected into pellets in the stomach, and finally disgorged 

 in its resting-place, where these pellets often accumulate 

 to an astonishing amount. Mice also constitute the 

 great bulk of the food brought by tliese owls to their 

 young ones ; and it is upon this fact that Mr. Waterton 

 relies in his plea for considering this bird as a bene- 

 factor to the farmer. While the young are in the nest, 

 which is the case throughout the greater part of the 

 year, as several broods are produced in the season, the 

 owls will bring a mouse to the nest every twelve or 

 fifteen minutes ; and in the course of sixteen months, 

 Mr. Waterton's owls accumulated in their dwelling- 

 place a deposit of more than a bushel of pellets, each 

 of which seems to represent on an average about five 

 mice. In the face of such facts as these, the Barn Owl 

 should certainly be pardoned for any d(;predations that 

 he may commit amongst the young of our game-bii ds, 

 as tliese must be infinitely more than counterbalanced 

 by the benefit he confers on the husbandman by the 

 destruction of vermin. 



The nest of this bird is placed in its ordinary dwelling, 

 and consists simply of a few sticks and straws, upon 

 which the eggs are deposited. The eggs are said to 

 vary from two to five in number ; and it appears, from 

 a notice published many years ago by Mr. Blyth, that 

 a fresh laying takes place before the first brood is able 

 to quit the nest. He says that a nest was found in tlie 

 neighbourhood of Tooting, which "contained two eggs, 

 and wdien they were hatched, two more were laid, 

 which latter were probably hatched by the warmth of 

 the young birds ; a third laying took place after the 

 latter were hatched, and the nest at last contained six 

 young owls of different ages, which were all reared." 



The screeching cry of the Barn Owl, wliich is often 

 heard about mined buildings and church-yards, can 

 liardly break suddenly on tlie car during the silence of 

 the night without producing some effect upon the imagi- 

 nation, and this sound has been regarded in almost all 

 ages and countries with a certain degree of superstitious 

 dread. This equivocal honour is shared by the Barn 

 Owl with many other species ; but, according to Pennant, 

 the Barn Owl has the advantage over his brethren, in 

 that the Mongols of Tartary " almost pay it divine 

 honours, because they attiibute to its species the pre- 

 servation of the founder of their empire, Genghis Khan. 

 That prince, with his smaU army, happened to be 

 surprised and put to flight by his enemies, and forced 

 to conceal himself in a little coppice ; ' an owl settled 

 on the bush under which he was bid, and induced his 

 pursuers not to search there, as they thought it im- 

 possible that auy man could be concealed in a place 

 where that bird would perch." 



THE AMERICAN BARN OWI [Strlx perlata), which 

 closely resembles the preceding, and was regarded by 

 Wilson and other writers as identical with our British 

 species, is by no means common in the United States, 

 but occurs more abundantly m the West Indies and 

 South America. Its habits appear to resemble those 

 of its European relative ; its favourite food consists ol 

 field-mice, of wliicli it devours great quantities. 



THE JAVENESE OWL {Strix javanica), ^]i\c\\ hir 



