32 THE BIEDS OP SUSSEX. 



' Ornithological Dictionary ' :—" It has been shot in York- 

 shire, and in Sussex, as well as in Scotland." 



The muscles of the thigh are stronger in this species, in 

 proportion to its size, than those of the same part of any 

 other bird I have ever examined. I can find no further 

 record of the appearance of the Eagle-Owl in Sussex; and it 

 is not mentioned by Mark wick*. 



SCOPS-OWL. 



Scops giu. 



The oiily notice I can find of this little Owl having been 

 obtained in Sussex is that given by Mr. Knox, who says (O. R. 

 p. 9495) : — " Of the occurrence of that rare visitor the Scops- 

 eared Owl, I can record only one instance in S-ussex. It was 

 shot some years ago at Shillinglee, the seat of the Earl of 

 Winterton, and was subsequently in the possession of a 

 member of the family." 



Now, Mr. Knox's own collection is at the present time at 

 Goodwood, and in it there is a specimen of the Scops-Owl ; 

 and in the MS. Catalogue it is thus referred to, in the hand- 

 writing of Mr. Knox : — " This bird is supposed to have been 

 shot near Plaistovr, as reported by the late Mr. Kidd (A. D. 

 1838), but I have no other authority for its being a Sussex 

 specimen." For this information I am indebted to Mr. F. 

 D. Godman, who very kindly obtained it for me through 

 Lord Walter Gordon Lennox. Now, as Plaistow is very near 

 to Shillinglee, there is a strong probability that this is the 

 specimen to which Mr. Knox refers in his O. R. 



* For the Owls in Arundel Castle, see Introduction. 



