﻿Beneficial to Agriculhire. 19 



to stackyards, and regularly quarters pastures and cornfields in 

 order to prey upon the different kinds of mice which would other- 

 wise soon overrun the land and ruin agriculture. No bird deserves 

 stricter protection than the Barn Owl, yet no bird has been more 

 persecuted owing to their employment in decorating game dealers' 

 shops, and as "fancy" birds for stuffing, or for making into fire 

 screens ; also they are shot by the ignorant because they are 

 considered unlucky. 



The call of this species is a very loud weird shriek, uttered on 

 the wing during night-time, whence the popular name Screech 

 Owl. 



Nesting commences, as a rule, about the end of April. The sites 

 chosen for the nest are various ; under the roofs of barns, cattle- 

 sheds and other rural buildings, crevices in cliffs, holes in trees, 

 ivy-covered ruins, church-towers and dove-cotes are all usual 

 places. The eggs number from three to six, sometimes eight, and 

 as many as ten have been found. They are pure white, smooth, 

 and without gloss. They are laid at intervals — at first two ; after 

 these are hatched, two more are produced, and again others, so 

 that eggs, young in down, and other young nearly fledged are to 

 be found in the same nest. 



The adult has the upper parts rich golden-buff speckled with 

 white, grey and brown ; facial disk white, with brown speckled rim ; 

 the wings barred with brown, and the tail with five transverse bars ; 

 under-parts white ; bill white ; irides black ; legs and toes covered 

 with white hair-like feathers. The female is the larger, but other- 

 wise the sexes are similar. A dark form occurs, having the uppei* 

 parts grey, with darker markings, the facial disk buff, with a dusky 

 rim, and the under-parts buff, with dark grey spots. 



NIGHTJAE, ob GOATSUCKEE. (PL VIII.) 



Gaprimulgus curopseus. 



This beautiful and useful bird, also known as the Goatsucker, 

 Fern-owl, Night-hawk and Churn-owl, is the latest of our summer 

 migrants to reach this country, seldom arriving before the middle 

 of May, and usually leaves again in September. It occurs and is 

 generally common in suitable localities throughout Great Britain, 

 excepting the most northern islands, where it is only a straggler. 



