Birds. 3653 



Food and Habits of the Young of the Fern-owl in confinement. 

 — Two young fern-owls, which I reared from the naked state, were 

 taken about the 9th of July, 1837, and were fed upon the food before 

 mentioned, made into moist pills. When they were very young, I 

 used to cram them with the meat-pills every two hours, giving to each 

 of them four, five, or six pills, according to the size: these were given 

 in the day-time. As the birds grew larger and stronger, I gradually 

 increased the size of the pills, so that by the time they could fly, they 

 would swallow one as large as a marble. At this time I very seldom 

 fed them during the day, but more frequently in the morning and 

 evening. I could never get the birds to pick up the food themselves, 

 nor did I pay any very great attention to them in this respect, having 

 but little time to look after them. They were pleasing quiet birds : 

 at first they made a feeble hissing or wheezing note, but as they grew 

 up they discontinued this noise, and would utter a croaking kind of 

 note. When I placed them on the back of a chair or on the edge of 

 a door, they perched in the same manner as most birds do, — across. 

 When set upon the ground they walked with a waddling gait, and one 

 could hardly see their little short legs and feet whilst walking. 



When kept in a light situation the young birds would remain quiet, 

 winking and blinking ; but placed in a darkish spot, they would open 

 their large full eyes, and look about them. At sunset, they began to 

 be on the move, and became much more sprightly and animated; soon 

 after sunset they would suddenly fly round the room for a short time, 

 and then alight upon the top of a cupboard-door which was kept open 

 as a perch for them. I never observed the birds miss their footing, or 

 blunder about, or strike their heads against the ceiling of the room, as 

 many young birds do in their first attempts to fly. They wanted no 

 cage in the daytime, as they would remain pretty quiet wherever they 

 were placed ; but at night I kept them in a basket, in case they should 

 dash through the windows after I had retired to rest. 



I kept these young fern-owls for eight weeks, and was highly amused 

 with them ; I then handed them over to the Zoological Society of 

 London, and the head keeper told me they lived until after Christmas 

 of the same year, but that he could never get them to feed themselves, 

 and that whenever he entered the place where they were kept, they 

 would immediately open their capacious mouths, showing that they 

 were quite ready for their daily meals. 



Incubation of the Fern-owl. — Although I have taken many young 

 fern-owls, I never found more than two at one hatching, and those 

 always upon the bare ground, generally in the open parts of woods, or 



