﻿Beneficial to Agriculture. 1 5 



The Kestrel does not construct its own nest, but occupies the 

 old nest of some other large bird ; that of the Carrion Crow is very 

 frequently selected. Such nests it seldom repairs. Ledges of cliffs 

 are commonly chosen for a site ; a slight depression is scratched 

 on the surface to receive the eggs. Crevices in quarries, ruins, 

 church-towers, also hollow trees, are occasionally made use of. 

 The eggs, laid in May, number from four to seven ; they vary 

 greatly in both colour and markings. The ground-colour varies 

 from white to ochreous-red, and the markings vary from minute 

 specks sprinkled over the surface to large blotches of different 

 shades of purple-brown and light red, while some are marbled with 

 lilac and purplish-red. 



The adult male has the head, neck, rump and tail bluish-grey, 

 the latter with a broad black sub-marginal band, externally 

 bordered with white ; the rest of the upper parts are rufous-buff, 

 with small triangular black spots ; breast and belly buff, the former 

 streaked and the latter spotted with black ; thighs and under tail- 

 covert rufous-buff and unspotted ; bill blue-grey ; cere, legs and 

 feet yellow ; claws black ; hides dark brown. 



The female has the upper parts rufous, barred with black, tail 

 narrowly banded with black, and a broad black sub-terminal band. 



LONG-EABED OWL. (PI. VI.) 

 Asio otus. 



The Long-eared Owl is distributed over the whole of the 

 British Islands, and in the larger fir woods it is generally common, 

 especially so in Scotland. In the autumn large numbers migrate 

 to this country from abroad. 



This owl passes the daytime in the shade of dense fir woods 

 and other forest trees, sitting on the base of the branches close 

 against the trunk, when it becomes a very inconspicuous object, 

 due to the close resemblance of its mottled plumage with the 

 general colouring of the bark. 



Unlike the Tawny Owl, this species does not hoot, and it is 

 generally a rather silent bird ; occasionally the adults utter a 

 quacking call. 



This owl feeds chiefly upon rats, mice, voles and small birds, 

 and, being strictly nocturnal in its habits, does not molest game. 



