CHAPTER VII 



Two Brown Owls 



THERE are two species of Owls, which, in the district with which I 

 am most famihar, come in for an overwhelming share of adverse 

 criticism ; two Owls which have somehow earned the reputation of 

 living mainly upon creatures which man also covets —incidentally, the most 

 undesirable reputation that any bird can acquire. 



One of them is the wise-looking Tawny, or Wood Owl, and the other the 

 Little Owl, and of the two the second, although hardly bigger than a thrush, 

 has certainly the greater number of human enemies. 



It is not so many years since one looked upon a Little Owl as being such a 

 rarity that notices of its occurrence were published in various periodicals ; 

 and yet to-day we find it, in the South of England at least, by far the common- 

 est of the owls, in spite of the fact that every man's hand' — and gun — is raised 

 against it. 



The chief grudge against the Little Owl is that it has a taste for young 

 partridges, and is particularly apt at picking them up. Then there are those 

 who think its quaint cry a ' horrible screeching noise ' ; and last of all the 

 fact that it is not a native of this country, seems sometimes to be resented ; 

 and the bird is looked upon as an * undesirable alien,' with no real right to 

 live here at all. 



As for the much more cumbersome Tawny Owl^ — its fault seems to be 

 confined to its habit of banging with its wings at night against the bars of the 

 coop within which the young pheasants are sleeping under the protecting 

 wings of a hen. Which manoeuvre has the effect of bringing out all of the 

 young pheasants at the double, when they are easily picked up by the watch- 

 ful Owl — at least, this is what I am told ! 



My own experiences lead me to think that neither of these owls interferes 

 to any extent with game ; although I do not for a moment suggest that an 

 odd young pheasant or partridge, which had lost touch with the main body, 

 would not be picked up. Doubtless it would be, as long as it were not too 

 strong for the Owl to tackle. 



But in spite of the uproar of protest against his depredations, the Little 



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