THE BARN OWL. . 291 



and the young sapling trees in the hedgerows would be 

 completely barked ; for nothing- suits the field mouse 

 better than to gnaw the bark away, invariably causing 

 the death of the tree. Then, too, the beetles he devours 

 prevents them increasing too rapidly, and checks the 

 quantity of their destructive larvae, which prey so dis- 

 astrously on our grass lands, cereal, and root crops ; 

 while the birds he takes are few, and certainly never 

 missed. The pellets he ejects proclaim his usefulness ; 

 for if you examine one of them you find it contains the 

 larger bones and skins of several mice, or portions of the 

 skin of the rat, mingled )vith the hard wing cases of 

 beetles, and but rarely with feathers. These pellets, if 

 the bird has used the cavity for some time, occur in- 

 incredible numbers, and silently speak of his sovereign 

 usefulness to gardener, agriculturist, and landowner 

 alike ; for there is not a bird of prey in Britain more 

 harmless in its character. Instead of persecution, he 

 claims and demands our warmest protection, for he is 

 indeed one of Nature's grandest conservators. 



The Barn Owl, upon the authority of the well-known 

 Mr. Waterton, is a first-rate fisherman, and takes his 

 prey from the waters like the Kingfisher, namely, by a 

 sudden plunge. Extraordinary as this may appear, still 

 I think were the bird, encouraged by our protection, to 

 take his prey in daylight a little more frequently, this 

 peculiarity would be far more frequently observed. I 

 do not doubt for a moment but what this bird feeds re- 

 gularly upon fish when the opportunity is offered, but 

 they are for the most part captured under the cover of 

 darkness. Dissection of the pellets thrown up by birds 

 in favourable localities, would, however, place this matter 

 beyond a doubt. 



