296 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
removed, no portion of it had been eaten. Hind portion of one 
and the back leg of another young rabbit, legs and tail of a 
Starling, and portion of Long-tailed Field Mouse in the nest. I 
did not contemplate being attacked by the old bird during the 
bright sunshine until this morning, when I received another 
blow on my collar. 
I am of opinion that birds of prey seldom hunt for food 
in the immediate vicinity of their nest, and these observations 
tend to confirm this belief. In close proximity to the nest I 
have a considerable number of cross-bred white rabbits, and 
although their numerous young ones must be a conspicuous 
prey for Owls, none of their remains are ever found in nest or 
in the pellets. 
31st.—7 a.m.: One of the old birds flew from plantation to 
apple-tree next to nesting-tree but did not attack. Amongst 
part of the refuse taken from the bottom of nesting-hole are the 
feathers of a Mistle-Thrush, some portions of pellets containing 
the legs and wing-cases of several cockchafers, and one or more 
dung beetles. Some parts of excreta are now found in the nest. 
7.30 p.m.: whilst standing on the ladder to inspect the nest, 
one of the old birds immediately flew from the plantation direct 
at me. I held out the straw hat I was wearing at arm’s length 
for protection; the force with which the Owl struck the hat 
stunned the bird, and she fell motionless to the ground some few 
feet distant beyond the tree. It proved to be the hen bird, as I 
had anticipated. In striking the hat she had forced it from my 
grasp, and in so doing considerably bent the double straw brim 
and driven her beak right into the angle of the crown, which 
was evidently the cause of her disaster. In a quarter of an 
hour she again showed signs of life, and in a few minutes after 
she had recovered sufficiently to fly from my house to the top of 
a, beehive in my garden some twenty yards distant. Here she 
remained another fifteen minutes, allowing herself in the mean- 
time to be freely mobbed by the small birds until a Mistle- 
Thrush, with more daring than all the other birds, gave her a 
severe bufietting, when she once again sought the plantation. 
June 1st.—6.45 am.: As a protection from further attack I 
took an open umbrella with me to the nest. But in vain, for 
the old bird attacked me in exactly the same way as last night, 
