1922.] Feeding Habits of the Little Owl. 1027 



it. In the ' larders ' I have found young and adult starlings, chaffinches, 

 house-sparrows, bank-voles, long-tailed field mice, one young rabbit, rats, and 

 remains of frogs." 



From J. C. L. (Hertford). — ''.We certainly lose a few young game birds 

 each year due to the presence of the Little Owl, but I should not like to 

 condemn it on that account, for considering the number of injurious insects, 

 voles, rats and mice that it destroys practically during every month of the 

 year, I consider it does far more good than harm. I have examined large 

 numbers of its pellets and the evidence they provide is all in favour of this 

 quaint little bird." 



From R. B. C. (Suffolk). — " I cannot think they do much harm to game, 

 as this has been quite a good partridge year, and I live on one of the great 

 shooting estates. On the whole I think the case against the Little Owl is 

 mainly one of ' giving a dog a bad name,' though I daresay they do sometimes 

 take young game birds." 



From G. H. G. (Sussex). — " I consider it is very harmful." 



From W. H. H. (Essex). — " I am of opinion that the natural food of this 

 bird is insects and larvae in season, and small birds, etc., during the winter. 

 I personally destroy this bird when chance occurs, as I think it harmful to 

 poultry and young partridge." 



From W. S. M. (Lincolnshire). — " I do not know of any case myself of 

 injury to game birds ; there are plenty of keepers who will swear to it, but 

 that is not proof." 



From F. H. (Kent). — " I have never seen them injure game birds." 



From H. 0. P. (Leicester). — " I consider it quite harmless except during the 

 nesting season. The bird is so small that it can get right into the coops 

 ' and peck out a small partridge or pheasant, and its habit is to walk quietly 

 up, consequently the old hen pays little attention to it, whereas a hawk arouses 

 the suspicions of the hen foster-mother. They work by day and night. I 

 have had complaint from local farmers that they come and remove chickens. 

 Personally I have stopped the shooting of them and the keepers must watch 

 their coops carefully during those three weeks or month." 



From J. E. K. (Devon). — " So far as my own investigations go I have not 

 yet found anything in those I have examined but beetles, a little moss or 

 grass, and in the last one a few very small stones." 



From C. T. F. (Middlesex). — " From what I have observed, I have come to 

 the conclusion that the Little Owl is not to be feared. His favourite haunt 

 here is in pollards growing alongside a ditch and I suspect that his favourite 

 meal is a water rat. Judging by the number of partridge found this season 

 I don't think the Little Owl can be harmful to them." 



From H. J. F. (Hertford). — " My opinion (framed on facts) is the Little Owl 

 in the breeding season does much harm to young game. After the young have 

 flown, I personally have found very little trace of their damage to game." 



From H. (Oxford). — " My experience of the Little Owl is that they are 

 most destructive to young game birds, especially partridges, working as they 

 do in the daytime. I am over-run with them here." * 



* On this estate 200 Little Owls were killed in 1920, and 23 in one shoot. 



E 2 



