[Jan., 



greatly regretted that others should endeavour to besmirch its 

 character and destroy it. 



An analysis of the stomach contents shows that the food con- 

 sists entirely of animal matter. Of the total bulk consumed 68.5 

 per cent, is composed of mice and voles, 9.5 per cent, of small 

 birds (house-sparrows, starlings and blackbirds), 7.5 per cent, 

 of injurious insects, 9 per cent, of shrew mice, 4.5 of small 

 birds (finches, etc.) and 1 per cent, of neutral insects. The 

 bird is beneficial in regard to 85.5 per cent, of its food (Fig. 2). 



The enormous percentage of mice and voles destroyed at once 

 draws attention to the benefit that this bird confers on the farmer, 

 and even if there is any truth in the charges which have been 

 brought against it in recent years of occasionally taking young 

 game birds, the percentage of any such food is infinitesimal 

 when compared with the remainder. It has frequently been 

 pointed out that when the Barn-Owl is abroad seeking its food, 

 all young game birds are safe beneath their mothers' wings. 



Adams* has recorded that in 1.124 pellets he found remains 

 of 2,407 rats and mice, of which, however. 469 were shrew mice. 



Tn the writer's examination of 410 pellets it was possible to 



identify the following : — 



Mole ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Short-tailed Field Mouse (Fiol.l Vole) ... ... 62 



Bank Vole ... ... ... ... ... 34 



Long-tailed Field Mouse ... ... ... 149 



House Mouse ... ... ... ... ... 25 



Common Shrew Mouse ... ... .. ... 64 



Brown Eat ... ... ... ... ... 125 



House-Sparrow ... ... ... ... 122 



Blackbird ... ... ... ... ... 11 



Starhng ... ... ... ... ... 12 



Thrush ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Other small birds ... ... ... ... 17 



Frog ... ... ... ... ... 4 



Cockchafer, remains ... ... ... ... 81 



Dung and other Beetles, remains ... ... ... 53 



769 



Apart from the common shrew mouse, the frog and the dung 

 beetles, and certain of the birds, the destruction of this food 

 is a distinct gain to the farmer. Moreover, in none of these 

 pellets was any trace of game birds found. 



We must have thousands of Bam-Owls in this country and 

 it would not prove any great task to obtain many thousands of 

 pellets. 



*Journ. N'amptn. X.H. Soc, 1913, p. 63. 



