1882 The Zoologist— OcTOBEn, 1869. 



culvert which drained the abbey. The place was covered with ducks, 

 teal and wigeon ; and 1 first saw his majesty [the golden eagle] 

 swoop down once or twice to get one for his breakfast, but unsuccess- 

 fully, as the ducks saved themselves by diving or flying off. The 

 park-keeper got two shots at him with ball on a tree, but missed him 

 each time, and he gradually got wilder, so that he could never be 

 approached again near enough for a shot." — Mr. Tilling, of JVelbeck, 

 in a letter to the ' Field '' of Jamiary 27tfi. — p. 18. 



The event is said to have taken place in 1838: the bird was not 

 obtained : it appeared only to have been seen on the wing ; and 

 whether the species was ascertained by Mr. Tilling or the anonymous 

 park-keeper is not stated, but it is scarcely credible that either could 

 give more than the vaguest possible guess on the subject. 



Again with the goshawk. " A single specimen was killed by one of 

 the keepers near Rufford in 1848, being the only instance I have 

 known of its occurrence." — p. 29. Whose keeper? Who named the 

 bird ? Where is the specimen preserved ? 



These observations and queries would apply with equal force in a 

 number of other cases, but instead of dilating on them, which were 

 an ungracious task, I will select from Mr. Sterland's volume those 

 passages on habits and economy on which the author has bestowed 

 such evident pains, and which I am sure, were he at my elbow, he 

 would point out for quotation : all of them contain abundaut internal 

 evidence of the liigh estimation in which the author holds them. 



TJie white owl hoots, hut seldom screams : the tawny owl screeches, 

 but rarcly,if ecer, hoots. — " With regard to the note of the white owl, 

 I venture with diflSdcnce to express an o])inion which I am aware is 

 contrary to that of most who have written of it; at the same time it 

 is no theoretical fancy, but the result of close and continuous ob- 

 servation. It is generally staled that this species seldom hoots. 

 Montagu boldly says, 'it is never known to hoot;' Macgillivray 

 that 'it has no other note than a shriek;' and Mr. Waterton that 

 ' the tawny owl is the only owl which hoots.' Similar assertions 

 might so easily be ninltiplied that it seems almost like temerity to 

 assert the contrary. A desire to elucidate the truth, however, compels 

 me to do this, and I am glad to be supported by so high an authority 

 as Sir W. Jardine, who, in a note to a late edition of ' White's 

 Selborne,' says that the white owl does hoot, for he has shot it in the 

 act — and more, that at night, when not alarmed, hooting is its general 

 cry. This I can confirm most unhesitatingly, for I have heard it 

 repeatedly and continuously do so ; and, on tin; very account of the 



