in praise of Owls.



167



dark and then to move on somewhere else. Even the call of its

mate does not bring it back, and after a few days it becomes so weak

and listless that it can easily be taken by hand; and if not per¬

ceived it either falls a prey to a fox or cat, or perishes of starvation.


The next aviary is tenanted by another rarity—a Fernando

Po Eagle Owl. This very beautiful bird only lately came into adult

plumage, and unfortunately most of his tail and several flight

feathers are broken, so he will need another moult before he can do

himself justice. When he arrived in England, last March, he was

still in down and had experienced very rough treatment. His

plumage was ragged and verminous, one leg had been cut to the

bone, presumably by a tether, and the other was nearly as bad,

consequently his feet and legs were so swollen and tender that he

could hardly stand. He could not feed himself and was altogether

deplorable.


At this stage he had a white head and breast, fawn coloured

back mixed with white, and black barred shoulder patches. The

wing-coverts were also fawn. The flight and tail feathers were

about half-grown, yellow barred with black. His eyes were, and

still are, deep black, very full and fringed with very long eyelashes.

Legs and feet bare and white.


On the advice of the Falconer at the King’s House — who is

a kind friend to all my birds and particularly “gone” on Owls I

padded the perches and kept them continually moist with vinegar

and water, and fed the invalid several times a day on such nourish¬

ing dainties as pigeons, “ warm ” young rabbits and sparrows, etc.

We sprinkled his feathers with ‘Keating’s ’ and provided a bath, of

which he took full advantage. Gradually he was coaxed back to

health ; those feathers which were not broken grew rapidly, his legs

fined down and became thickly covered with white feathers barred

with black to match his breast. He grew a fine pair of ‘ horns,’ and

tortoiseshell feathers took the place of the white down on his head

and back. By the end of May he had become a very personable

well-clad bird, most of the ragged feathers came away, and those

which remained were at any rate clean. It might well be supposed

that all this ill treatment would have made the bird either savage or

timid, but, as a matter of fact, he is the tamest and most affectionate



