128 
THE BIRDS OF HAMPSHIRE. 
assailing the intruder with pecks and snapping of the 
beak, and grabbing with their sharp claws. 
The old birds frequently hunt by day, and prey 
more upon small birds than other owls. The young are 
sometimes provided with quite a collection of little birds 
and mice round the edge of a nest, and even the youngest 
owl in the family may be found trying to tear some 
small victim in order to devour it. 
Some writers have described the caterwauling cry as 
made by the young only, but on the contrary it is uttered 
by the old birds. The young in the nest make a feeble 
and monotonous whistling or " creaking " noise. (Munn). 
The bird is common in some parts of the New Forest ; 
Mr. Meade- Waldo thinks more on the north side than 
the south, though it certainly nests in the Beaulieu Woods. 
Mr. Corbin noticed that this bird was particularly abundant 
in the Avon Valley in the summer of 1902, and had 
specimens brought to him in all stages of growth. He 
was struck by the beautiful variety of plumage among 
the young birds, especially about the facial disc. No two 
seemed alike, and one presented a particularly grotesque 
appearance, being almost black round the eyes and 
underneath the beak, while the margins of the disc seemed 
whiter than usual, which threw up the inky black tips 
in a remarkable manner.^ 
Turning to the east side of the county. Bell remarks 
that it is strange that White was unacquainted with the 
two eared owls, though they frequently occurred in the 
neighbourhood. He tells the story of one of this species 
pitched upon a gate, which was so " stupid " that it allowed 
itself to be taken by hand, and he mentions Rotherfield 
as a place where the nest had been found. 
» " Zoologist." 1902. 
