THE BARN OWL. 



11 



this, he molested either the old birds or their young 

 ones ; and I assured the housekeeper that I would 

 take upon myself the whole responsibility of all 

 the sickness, woe, and sorrow that the new tenants 

 might bring into the Hall. She made a low cour- 

 tesy : as much as to say, " Sir, I fall into your will 

 and pleasure:" but I saw in her eye that she had 

 made up her mind to have to do with things of 

 fearful and portentous shape, and to hear many 

 a midnight wailing in the surrounding woods. I do 

 not think that, up to the day of this old lady's 

 death, which took place in her eighty-fourth year, 

 she ever looked with pleasure or contentment on 

 the barn owl, as it flew round the large sycamore 

 trees which grow near the old ruined gateway. 



When I found that this first settlement on the 

 gateway had succeeded so well, I set about forming 

 other establishments. This year I have had four 

 broods, and I trust that next season I can calcu- 

 late on having nine. This will be a pretty increase, 

 and it will help to supply the place of those 

 which in this neighbourhood are still unfortunately 

 doomed to death, by the hand of cruelty or su- 

 perstition. We can now always have a peep at 

 the owls, in their habitation on the old ruined 

 gateway, whenever we choose. Confident of pro- 

 tection, these pretty birds betray no fear when 

 the stranger mounts up to their place of abode. 

 I would here venture a surmise, that the barn 

 owl sleeps standing. Whenever we go to look at 

 it, we invariably see it upon the perch, bolt up- 

 right; and often with its eyes closed, apparently 



