The Bittern and Spoonbill. 249 
cage was a slicling tray on wliu li I used to put a few sheets 
of newspaper. Sand may be used but it is more troublesome 
and less cleanly, and on no account must it be allowed to 
get mixed up with the food and swallowed. An old carriage 
rug may be used to cover the toji, back and sides of the cage, 
and this should be soaked in boiling water at least once a 
month— otherwise it is certain to become the abode of parasites. 
An equally charming and, on account of its minute 
size, even more suitable house pet than the Little Owl, is its 
African relative the Pearl-spotted Owlet (Glaucidiuni perla- 
tum). A tame one I saw a few years ago was the most 
charming midget imaginable, and I would have given anything 
to possess him. He appeared scarcely more than half the 
size of a Little Owl which he resembled in miniature, and he 
possessed the diurnal habits and many of the charming ways 
which made my Peeps a companion whose memory will never 
fade . ♦ 
The Bittern and Spoonbill. 
By F. Dawson-Smith. 
In days, long gone by, when the British Isles were less 
densely populated, and when large tracts of swamp were un- 
drained, the Bittern {Botaurus stelUiris. Linn.) and the Spoon- 
bill {Platalea leucorodia, Linn.), were familiar objects. 
The Fenland district was the most favoured habitat, 
