NOTES AND QUERIES. 215 
appearance of the feathers I concluded that the bird was probably breeding, 
and searched diligently for a nest, but without success. — F. Conury 
(7, Holloway Head, Birmingham). 
Food of the Barn Owl.—So much has been written in connection with 
the food of this species and its admitted usefulness to the farmer, that little 
remains to be added. During the recent gales in March a great elm near 
my house was blown down. This tree had to my knowledge, for forty-five 
years, been the residence of a pair of Barn Owls (Stria flammea), who 
regularly nested there. Since the loss of their home I have had a small 
barrel, duly prepared, fixed amongst the boughs of an ancient yew, hoping 
thus to persuade my old neighbours to remain with us, On sawing the 
rotten stem of the elm into sections we found bushels of Owls’ castings ; 
these were composed of a vast number of the Common Mouse, also some 
Long-tailed and Short-tailed Mice, the skull of a Starling, and hundreds of 
the skulls and upper mandible of the House Sparrow. The Mice and 
Sparrows were no doubt seized from the stack-sides, for I have often seen 
the Owls thus employed, or sitting on the watch hard by on some post of 
vantage. The tenant could never understand how it was I was so anxious 
that the Owls should be left unmolested, and this exhibition of the disjecta 
membra of hundreds of Mice and Sparrows has come like a revelation to 
him, Farmers here have an absurd idea that Owls enter their Pigeon- 
cotes and carry off the young Pigeons, and it appears impossible to per- 
suade them to the contrary.—Joun CorpEAux (Great Cotes House, R.S.0., 
Lincoln). 
Rare Partridges in Leadenhall Market.—I observed in the ‘ Field’ of 
the 19th March a notice from the pen of my friend Mr. Tegetmeier of the 
presence of a large number of Daurian Partridges in Leadenhall Market, 
and may remark that this is the second time that a consignment of these 
birds has been offered for sale in that market. I saw the first lot unpacked, 
and they were rolled in paper and hard frozen, and then packed in a large 
sugar-barrel, and arrived here in very good condition. The Daurian 
Partridge (Perdix daurica and P. sibirica of Pallas, Perdia barbata, Verr.) 
inhabits Eastern Siberia, the Amoor country, Dauria, &c., ranging south 
through Mantchuria and Mongolia to North China, and west to the Tian- 
Shan Mountains in Turkestan; so that the birds sold here must have 
traversed a great distance in a frozen state before reaching this country. 
This Partridge is not a rare bird in museums, or indeed in private collec- 
tions, and can be had of most continental dealers, and is quite distinct from 
our European Partridge. Simultaneously a considerable number of Red- 
legged Partridges from Central Asia (Caccabis magna, Prjev.) were on sale 
in Leadenhall Market. The range of this species is given by Mr. Ogilvy- 
