The Little Owl. 7S 



of day-light, being at once chased by small birds, such Jis Starlings and Swallows, 

 whenever it takes flight, wliich it does " like a bat, witli bntterfly-like un- 

 certainty," according to vSeebohiii. In general it does not come forth to search 

 for its food until just before dusk. It is an early breeder, nesting in holes of 

 walls, in church towers, in holes of trees and rocks, and Lord Lilford found it in 

 Spain nesting in holes in the ground among the roots of old cork and olive 

 trees. Its eggs are four or five, sometimes seven, in number, glossy white, and 

 oval in shape, measuring from 1.48 to raS inch by from ra to rog inch. It is 

 a very courageous bird in defence of its nest, sallying out and buffeting any 

 passer by. The cry of the old birds when they have young read}' to leave the 

 nest is said to resemble the alarm cry of the Blackbird ; at other times thev 

 make a short barking hoot. This small species will nest readily in confinement, 

 but, in common with other birds in unnatural conditions, its instincts become 

 vitiated, and it will devour the young directl}- the}- are hatched. With proper 

 food and care it will live a great man}- years in captivity, keeping in beautiful 

 plumage; the chief essential being that it must never remain long without fur or 

 feather. The Little Owl is very fond of insects, and is often to be noted on the 

 ground eating beetles, or earthworms. Some tame ones belonging to the writer 

 are extremely fond of cockroaches, of which the}- will devour great numbers at a 

 meal. These small Owls can stow away an extraordinary number of mice ; two 

 of them one afternoon devoured thirteen, and ten more the next morning, without 

 appearing to be in any way distended or inconvenienced. They are so tame and 

 familiar with the writer that they seldom indulge in any of their grotesque con- 

 tortions Avhen he visits them, but should he be accompanied by a stranger, 

 especially by a lady in a hat or bonnet, they at once evince their excitement, 

 drawing up their bodies in jerks to their fullest height, and suddenly telescoping 

 them again, with queer bowings, to the general entertainment of the spectators. 

 Sometimes at night they receive visits from a Tawny Owl that flies out of a 

 neighbouring plantation and perches on the roof of the shed in which they are 

 kept, when great is the music, as the deep hoots of the stranger are replied to 

 by the short barking notes of the small captives. Little Owls in confinement 

 never require water to drink or bathe in; indeed, it is said it is fatal to them to 

 get wet. They are voracious in their appetites, as may be judged from what 

 has been stated above ; one day, not having anything else to give his pets the 

 Avriter placed a Magpie, just shot in a plantation, in their box ; in a ver}- short 

 time the whole of the Magpie had disappeared, with the exception of some of the 

 longest feathers. The Little Owl also devours snails, slugs, caterpillars, and 

 large insects, and is, in consequence, gladly welcomed as an inmate of gardens ; 



