﻿26 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  flew 
  screaming 
  to 
  mob 
  it 
  ; 
  a 
  male 
  Merlin 
  stooped 
  at 
  it 
  several 
  

   times, 
  a 
  Curlew 
  and 
  a 
  Black-headed 
  Gull 
  attacked 
  it 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  

   paid 
  little 
  attention 
  to 
  its 
  assailants, 
  save 
  that 
  it 
  occasionally 
  

   clapped 
  its 
  wings 
  sharply 
  together. 
  As 
  the 
  Owl 
  drifted 
  to 
  and 
  

   fro, 
  it 
  went, 
  at 
  intervals, 
  through 
  a 
  curious 
  performance, 
  the 
  

   significance 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  clear. 
  It 
  smote 
  its 
  wings 
  together 
  

   sharply 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times, 
  making 
  them 
  meet, 
  not 
  only 
  above 
  

   its 
  back 
  as 
  a 
  Nightjar 
  does, 
  but 
  bringing 
  them 
  together 
  beneath 
  

   its 
  belly, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  shaking 
  its 
  whole 
  body 
  from 
  side 
  

   to 
  side. 
  This 
  demonstration, 
  accompanied 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  by 
  a 
  noise 
  

   like 
  the 
  loud 
  clapping 
  of 
  hands, 
  was 
  probably 
  intended 
  to 
  terrify 
  

   us 
  and 
  the 
  birds 
  which 
  assaulted 
  it 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  What- 
  

   ever 
  its 
  function 
  may 
  have 
  been, 
  it 
  was 
  repeated 
  several 
  times 
  

   on 
  this 
  day 
  and 
  when 
  we 
  visited 
  the 
  moor 
  on 
  subsequent 
  occa- 
  

   sions. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  bird 
  perched 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  

   other 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  alders, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  ; 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   time 
  we 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  moor 
  it 
  remained 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  above 
  us, 
  never 
  

   travelling 
  far 
  away. 
  Neither 
  when 
  on 
  the 
  wing, 
  nor 
  when 
  the 
  

   bird 
  was 
  perching, 
  were 
  its 
  ear-tufts 
  visible. 
  Scattered 
  pellets 
  

   lay 
  about 
  the 
  moss, 
  and 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  furze- 
  

   bushes 
  were 
  the 
  feathers 
  and 
  remains 
  of 
  small 
  birds, 
  but 
  some 
  

   of 
  these 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  debris 
  left 
  by 
  Merlins. 
  In 
  one 
  spot 
  

   we 
  found 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  egg-shell, 
  but 
  we 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  

   young, 
  or 
  to 
  put 
  up 
  a 
  second 
  old 
  bird. 
  On 
  the 
  following 
  day, 
  

   and 
  again 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later, 
  we 
  visited 
  the 
  place, 
  putting 
  the 
  bird 
  

   up 
  from 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  spot 
  ; 
  on 
  each 
  occasion 
  it 
  behaved 
  as 
  on 
  

   our 
  former 
  visit. 
  On 
  June 
  4th 
  Mr. 
  Cummings 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  moss 
  

   alone, 
  and 
  fortunately 
  found 
  a 
  fledged 
  young 
  bird 
  crouching 
  in 
  

   the 
  ling. 
  When 
  he 
  took 
  it 
  up 
  the 
  little 
  bird 
  made 
  no 
  resistance, 
  

   but 
  kept 
  its 
  eyes 
  upon 
  him. 
  When 
  he 
  replaced 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  however, 
  and 
  touched 
  it 
  again, 
  it 
  snapped 
  and 
  hissed, 
  

   assuming 
  a 
  terrifying 
  attitude 
  by 
  puffing 
  out 
  its 
  feathers 
  and 
  

   arching 
  its 
  wings 
  above 
  its 
  back, 
  after 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  young 
  

   Long- 
  eared 
  Owls. 
  It 
  also 
  made 
  several 
  fierce 
  attempts 
  to 
  fly 
  at 
  

   his 
  face 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  bending 
  over 
  it. 
  Meanwhile 
  the 
  old 
  bird 
  

   became 
  terribly 
  excited, 
  swooping 
  down 
  close 
  to 
  his 
  head, 
  and 
  

   uttering 
  a 
  wilder 
  and 
  more 
  angry 
  note 
  than 
  the 
  barking 
  whowk, 
  

   which 
  sounded 
  like 
  quack, 
  quack, 
  quack. 
  It 
  pitched 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  near 
  him, 
  assuming 
  the 
  terrifying 
  attitude 
  which 
  is 
  

   common 
  to 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  Owls, 
  and 
  rolling 
  its 
  head 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  

  

  