﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  119 
  

  

  know 
  the 
  bird 
  by 
  sight 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  consequence 
  how 
  many 
  poor 
  

   Cuckoos 
  come 
  by 
  their 
  death 
  each 
  season 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  

   supposed 
  hawk 
  -like 
  appearance 
  and 
  man's 
  ignorance, 
  it 
  is 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  say 
  ; 
  yet 
  the 
  number 
  must 
  be 
  considerable, 
  for 
  

   any 
  bird 
  having 
  the 
  least 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  Hawk 
  is 
  merci- 
  

   lessly 
  shot 
  down. 
  Even 
  when 
  busily 
  engaged 
  in 
  gathering 
  

   the 
  caterpillars 
  from 
  the 
  gardener's 
  gooseberry 
  bushes, 
  the 
  

   Cuckoo's 
  life 
  is 
  not 
  spared, 
  for 
  they 
  are 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  eating 
  

   the 
  berries 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  grubs, 
  and 
  belief 
  is 
  enough. 
  The 
  

   idea 
  of 
  examining 
  the 
  stomach 
  of 
  the 
  victim 
  is 
  never 
  dreamt 
  

   of 
  ; 
  enough 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  when 
  the 
  " 
  brute 
  " 
  has 
  been 
  killed. 
  

  

  Young 
  Cuckoos 
  are 
  subject 
  to 
  considerable 
  persecution 
  by 
  

   other 
  birds. 
  While 
  I 
  was 
  on 
  an 
  excursion 
  in 
  June, 
  1891, 
  

   among 
  the 
  dreary 
  waste 
  of 
  sand 
  that 
  stretches 
  from 
  Ythan- 
  

   mouth 
  northwards, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  Terns 
  were 
  observed 
  chasing 
  

   a 
  young 
  Cuckoo 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time, 
  swooping 
  down 
  upon 
  it 
  while 
  

   it 
  "dodged" 
  around 
  the 
  benty 
  hillocks, 
  every 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  

   emitting 
  a 
  wild 
  frightened 
  scream 
  as 
  the 
  Terns 
  dashed 
  upon 
  

   it. 
  So 
  intent 
  were 
  pursuers 
  and 
  pursued 
  in 
  their 
  movements 
  

   that 
  they 
  took 
  no 
  notice 
  of 
  my 
  presence, 
  often 
  coming 
  within 
  

   a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  me, 
  and 
  the 
  chase 
  was 
  kept 
  up 
  as 
  long 
  at 
  least 
  

   as 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  in 
  sight. 
  

  

  Order 
  STRIGES. 
  

  

  Family 
  STEIGIDZE. 
  

  

  Up 
  to 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  author 
  has 
  held 
  pretty 
  strictly 
  to 
  the 
  

   arrangement 
  as 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Ornithologists' 
  

   Union 
  ; 
  but 
  here 
  he 
  feels 
  bound 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  stand, 
  as 
  he 
  can 
  see 
  

   no 
  good 
  reason 
  for 
  dividing 
  and 
  sub-dividing 
  the 
  various 
  Owls 
  

   into 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  what 
  appears 
  to 
  him 
  unnecessary 
  genera. 
  

   Hitherto 
  most 
  writers 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  law 
  unto 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  in 
  these 
  matters 
  ; 
  therefore, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  

   consensus 
  of 
  opinion, 
  I 
  have 
  included 
  all 
  the 
  Owls 
  under 
  the 
  

   genus 
  Strix, 
  as 
  being 
  much 
  more 
  convenient 
  and 
  far 
  less 
  

   confusing. 
  

  

  Genus 
  STRIX, 
  Linn. 
  

   Strix 
  flammea, 
  Linn. 
  Barn 
  Owl. 
  

  

  Comparatively 
  rare. 
  During 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  over 
  forty 
  years 
  I 
  

   have 
  only 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  as 
  being 
  found 
  within 
  

  

  