Feeding Habits of the Little Owl. 



[Feb., 



THE FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS 

 OF THE LITTLE OWL. 



Walter E. Collinge, D.Sc, F.L.S., M.B.O.U. 



Keeper of the Yorkshire Museum, York. 



For some years past there has been a growing opinion that 

 .the Little Owl (Carine noctua, Scop.) is an injurious bird against 

 which strong repressive measures should be taken before more 

 serious damage is occasioned. 



Be this as it may, it is obvious that without a more exact 

 knowledge of its food habits, it would be unwise to proceed to 

 destroy a bird merely upon hearsay or because of isolated and 

 local causes of injury. 



In order, therefore, that there may be some solid ground 

 upon which to act, an investigation was commenced in 1918 

 with the object of obtaining specimens of this bird from 

 numerous districts in Great Britain, throughout the different 

 months of the year, and over two or more successive years, 

 and to estimate the food by the volumetric system; further, 

 to study the nature of the food fed to the nestlings and eaten 

 by the parent birds during the nesting season, and to inquire 

 if there was any variation in the nature of the food in different 

 districts and seasons. 



The Introduction and Spread oi the Little Owl. — Most of the 

 recorded occurrences of this species before 1S43, as an occa- 

 sional immigrant to the British Isles, are open to doubt. They 

 have already been dealt with by Coward (7;* so I need not 

 repeat them here. 



In 1842 Waterton made an attempt to establish this bird 

 in Yorkshire. In his Essays of Natural History he recounts 

 how he saw them in the market place at Pantheon, Italy. He 

 says that the bird " is much prized by the gardeners of Italy 

 for its uncommon ability in destroying insects, snails, slugs, 

 reptiles, and mice. There is scarcely an outhouse in the gardens 

 and vineyards of that country which is not tenanted by " this 

 species. Thinking that it " would be peculiarly useful to the 

 British horticulturist " he determined to import some of these 

 birds, and after losing six specimens on the voyage and another 

 soon after landing, he successfully introduced five birds. " On 

 the 10th of May, 1842, there being an abundance of slugs, 

 snails, aud beetles on the "round, T relented them from their 



* These figures within hr.ickets indicate references to literature to he given 

 in the concluding part of, the ar;L-le. 



