134 



THE yOUNG 



NATUEALIST. 



little observed owing to its nocturnal habits. 

 When out in the middle of a forest we may 

 occasionally see a light fleeting shadow flit 

 silently past us, or see the bird to better 

 advantage gliding swallow like, between the 

 eye and the moon-lit sky. 



Food,-— The food of this species con- 

 sists of rats, mice, moles, young rabbits and 

 hares ; also of small birds which it takes 

 from the perch while at roost. 



In Confinement they may be fed upon 

 the same, and will also eat raw meat. They 

 are very easily tamed if taken from the nest 

 while young, and are very interesting crea- 

 tures on account of their grotesque appear- 

 ance and habits. If kept in a house or 

 about a stackyard they are very useful in 

 clearing it of vermin such as rats and 

 mice. 



Habitat. — This species is found more 

 or less in all the wooded districts of Eng- 

 land, and most of Scotland and Ireland. 



Abroad it is found over the greater part 

 of Europe, in India, and other parts of 

 Asia, and in Africa. 



Nest,— This species never builds a nest 

 of its own, but adapts that of a crow or 

 magpie, preferring those that are in a thick 

 fir or ivy-covered tree, sometimes repairing 

 it by the addition of a little wool or a few 

 feathers. It also repairs the deserted 

 " Arey " of the squirrel. 



Eggs. — The eggs are white, and nearly 

 of equal thickness at both ends. It number 

 they are said to vary from three to seven, 

 and are laid during the latter part of March 

 or in April. It has been suggested that the 

 eggs are laid at intervals of a week or more, 

 and that the young hatch at equal intervals. 

 I have no personal knowledge of this, and 

 would be glad of communications on the 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 



By W. H. Bath. 



Spiders. — Has anybody observed a 

 spiders nest on some palings or a hedge ? 

 It is a round ball of a silky nature, full of 

 young spiders, who are generally of a yellow- 

 ish colour when first hatched. If you give 

 it the least touch it scatters in all directions, 

 and produces a very curious appearance. If 

 you wait a short time you will see them 

 gradually coming back to it again when 

 they think the danger is all over. In the 

 early frosts at the beginning of autumn it is 

 astonishing to see the countless multitudes 

 of spiders webs on the hedges that have 

 been revealed by the moisture ssttling upon 

 them. For several mornings last September 

 I observed great numbers on the hedges 

 all along the railway. They were thickest 

 in the most sheltered situations, and 

 were so close together that it would 

 seem a fly settling anywhere on the 

 hedge would be certain to be caught by 

 one of them. 



Cats. We had a female tabby cat who 

 used to catch a number of rabbits from the 

 fields. She laid wait for them by their holes 

 and pounced on them if they showed their 

 faces outside. Several mornings she brought 

 in two or three, they wore mostly very young 

 ones, but several were quite large enough 

 for cooking. The cat would never eat them 

 herself. 



A short time ago a friend of mine told me 

 that a Sparrow Hawk settled on his lawn, 

 when their cat rushed out to it. The hawk 

 stood on its toes and pecked out at the cat 

 the cat struck out to it with her paws. 

 They both seemed to be afraid to assume 

 the offensive, but to the annoyance of the 

 witness, a dog came on to the scene and 

 separated the combatants. 



Jackdaws are very fond of congregating 

 with rooks, and I have often seen starlings 



