EAGLE OWL 
135 
Genus— 
124. Bubo ignavus. Eagle Owl. 
A very rare accidental visitor. 
The specimen in the Hart collection formerly belonged 
to the Hon. Grantley Berkeley, and was obtained in the 
New Forest in the year 1855. 
The late Mr. Dan Meinertzhagen wrote to the " Field " 
in 1 891, to record a specimen killed at Paultons, near 
Romsey. He saw it in the shop of Mr. Dawkins, the 
Romsey bird-stuffer, and gives the following particulars. 
The extended wings measured 66 inches, one wing 30^ 
inches, and the body 30 inches. It was a male, in winter 
plumage, had been about the place for a month, and had 
eaten five pheasants, which were kept in a pheasantry. 
A certain amount of suspicion attaches to modern 
records of this bird, because it is frequently kept in cap- 
tivity, both at private houses and in menageries, but at the 
same time it must be remembered that both the dates 
above-mentioned coincide with severe winters which brought 
a great number of birds to England from the north, and 
it is a known habit of this owl to follow its prey on 
migration. 
" The eagle owl," says Gilbert White, " could it be 
found to belong to us, is so majestic a bird that it would 
grace our fauna much." (Letter xxvi. to Pennant.) 
