5352 Birds. 



the end of February, and saw some fine adult males in March and until 

 near the end of April. I cannot say whether this species is resident 

 during the year. 



The habits of birds whose movements are more or less restricted to 

 the night are of course not easily observed, and therefore it is that, by 

 the superstitious, all kinds of depredations are laid to their charge, 

 and, for this reason, the species of the family we now come to have 

 been called birds of ill omen. It was towards evening of a day at 

 the end of September, having been skinning specimens all the after- 

 noon, when I mounted my horse, and, having gone some distance past 

 a French camp, it had grown dusk. I had just pulled up after a sharp 

 gallop towards Cape Violente, and was approaching a part of the cliffs 

 where the French used to throw their dead cattle into the sea, when 

 an owl circled upwards, and was lost to sight. 



At the edge of the cliffs there were a number of dead bullocks 

 together, and when I approached within thirty yards a large bird 

 hardly rose, and, flapping its wings, rested on the very edge of the 

 cliff: my first and momentary thought was that E had disturbed a 

 vulture who had taken up its position for the night on the scene of 

 its last meal ; but the form of the dark figure, standing in relief against 

 the clear evening sky, at once undeceived me, and two large horns 

 erect on his head denoted him a horned owl, and, from his size, likely 

 to be the eagle owl (Stria bubo), which I believe he was, for I have 

 since seen a specimen brought from the country. I know of one that 

 was in confinement, and have heard of others being seen. During the 

 continuation of my evening's ride along the cliffs I noticed many more 

 owls and bats, and it had been dark some time before I reached the 

 camp. 



The short-eared owl {Strix brachyotus) and the long-eared owl 

 (Strix otus) both inhabit the Crimea: I obtained the former in 

 September and April, and the latter in March. Dr. William Carte 

 also obtained both these, and considers that the former is resident 

 during the entire year. 



There was a diminutive species, not larger than a thrush, which was 

 pretty generally distributed, being common about rocks, buildings and 

 old trees, and many were observed in the trenches during the siege : 

 I had several opportunities of observing it, and have hunted more than 

 once after one in the dusk of the evening, but neither Dr. William 

 Carte nor myself ever obtained a specimen, and thus far I cannot trace 

 a single one that has arrived safely in England, although I have heard 

 of some that were preserved. I observed one go into a small hole in 



