94 



REPORT 1869. 



which were as follows : — In order to ascertain the natnre of the food of the 

 different owls, Dr. Altum collected pellets, or castings, at different seasons of 

 the year, from different localities, which pellets he carefully examined. 



Of the Barn-owl {Strix fiammea) he examined 706 rejected pellets, which 

 contained remains of the following, viz. : — 

 4 Plecotus auritus. 



11 Vesperugo pipistrellus. 

 1 Vesperus serotinus. 

 3 Mus clecumanus. 



237 musculus, sylvaticus, and mi- 



nutus. 

 34 HypurLTius glareolus. 



23 amphibius. 



688 Arvicola arvalis. 

 47 agrestis. 



1 Arvicola campestris. 

 76 Crossopus fodiens. 

 349 Crocidura araneus (and leucodon). 

 1164 Sorcx vulgaris. 



1 pygmajus. 



1 Talpa europasa. 

 19 Passer domesticus. 



1 FringiUa chloris. 



2 Cypselus apus. 



Of the Wood-owl (Stri.v aluco) he examined 210 pellets, the contents of 

 which he classifies as follows — 



1 Mustela erminea. 

 6 Mus decumanus. 

 42 musculus, sylvaticus, minutus. 



19 IIypuda;us glareolus. 



1 1 amphibius. 



254 Arvicola arvalis. 



12 agrestis. 



1 Sciurus vulgaris. 

 5 Crossopus fodiens. 

 3 Crocidura araneus. 



20 Sores vulgaris. 

 5 pygmteus. 



48 Talpa europea. 



1 Certhia familiaris. 



1 Emberiza citrinella. 



1 Motacilla alba. 



15 Small birds (sp.?). 



15 Carabus granulatus. 



4 Harpalus ? 



9 Ditiscus marginalia. 



14 Scarabeus stercorarius. 



1 sylvaticus. 



1 Elater ? 



1 Silpha rugosa. 



and large quantities of Melolontha vulgaris, some of the pcUets consisting 

 entirely of the remains of these insects. 



Of the Short-oared Owl (Strix hracliyotus) he examined a few pellets, 

 which he found to contain only remains of Hypudceus amphibius ; but as 

 these were only obtained from one locality where this mouse is especially 

 abundant. Dr. Altum reserves his remarks on the food of this owl until he 

 can make further investigations. 



Of the Long-cared Owl {Strix otus) he examined many pellets, which con- 

 tained remains as follows : — 



14 Mus sylvaticus. 

 1 Hypvida?us amphibius. 



12 glareolus. 



193 Arvicola arvalis. 



65 Arvicola agrestis. 



2 Sores vulgaris. 



3 Birds, sp.? 



The above proves most clearly that our owls should be protected, as in 

 destroying mice &c. they are benefitting the agriculturist. Not only, how- 

 ever, do the owls, as is above shown, feed chiefly on mice, but the Wood- 

 owl {Strix aluco) is often insectivorous ; and Mr. Leopold Martin of Berlin 

 (Journal fiir Ornithologic, 1854, p. 93) states that he found in the stomach 

 of one of these birds the remains of no less than 75 Sphinx pinastri. 



Many of our smaller birds arc entirely insectivorous, and are undoubtedly 

 useful at all seasons of the year ; and of these we may in particular refer to 

 the Woodpeckers and Titmice, the latter of which feed largely on the eggs of 

 Bomhyx pini, which is so destructive to the pine forests. Every female of 

 this moth will lay from 600 to 700 eggs, and were it not that they are kept 

 down in number liy the tits they would increase enormously. Count 0. 

 Wodzicki, in a small work on the influence of birds in destroying inju- 



