182 BIRD GALLERY. 



walksj the sheep being ohliged to jump over the sitting bird. Three 

 eggs are laid early in May and vary greatly in colour and markings. 



Island of Mousa, Shetlands, June. 



Presented hy Lieut. G. H. Bruce, R.N. 



No. 122. TAWNY OWL. (Syrniutn aluco.) 



This Owl, also known as the Brown or Wood-Owl, is fairly common 

 all over Great Britain wherever there are woods and crags suited to its 

 habits, but it does not appear to be found in Ireland. The nesting- 

 site is very varied, the most usual place being a hollow in the trunk of 

 some decayed tree, but old nests of Rooks, Crows, and other birds are 

 frequently used, while ruins, barns, and disused chimneys are sometimes 

 resorted to, and not infrequently the bare ground under the shelter of 

 fir branches or roots. The eggs, usually three or four in number, are 

 smooth, white, and nearly round in shape, and sometimes laid as early as 

 the end of February. During the day this species remains concealed, and 

 it appears to dislike the sunlight more than any other British Owl. It 

 preys chiefly on rats, mice, moles, and sometimes on small birds, insects, 

 or surface-swimming fishes. 



Somerset, May. 



Presented by C. B. Horsbrugh, Esq. 



No. 123. LONG-EARED OWL. (Asio otus.) 



This resident species is generally distributed throughout the wooded 

 districts of Great Britain and Ireland, being especially partial to fir- 

 plantations. It is nocturnal in its habits and feeds principally on small 

 rats, mice, and birds, though beetles and other insects are also eaten. 

 The eggs, which are white and from four to six in number, are usually 

 deposited very early in the year in an old squirrel's drey, or in the 

 deserted nest of some larger bird, but occasionally they are laid on the 

 ground, at the foot of a hollow tree. 



Norfolk, May. 



Presented by Lord Walsingham. 



No. 124. HERRING-GULL. (Larus argentatus.) 



One of the commonest Gulls on the coasts of the British Islands, 

 breeding wherever precipitous rocks or isolated " stacks " afford a suitable 

 refuge. Many pairs nest also among the sand-hills on the north- 



