THE BxARN OWL. 
11 
this, he molested either the old birds or their young 
ones ; and I assured the housekeeper that I would 
take upon myself the whole responsibility of all 
the sickness, woe, and sorrow that the new tenants 
might bring into the Hall. She made a low cour- 
tesy : as much as to say, " Sir, I fall into your will 
and pleasure:" but I saw in her eye that she had 
made up her mind to have to do with things of 
fearful and portentous shape, and to hear many 
a midnight wailing in the surrounding woods. I do 
not think that, up to the day of this old lady's 
death, which took place in her eighty-fourth year, 
she ever looked with pleasure or contentment on 
the barn owl, as it flew round the large sycamore 
trees which grow near the old ruined gateway. 
When I found that this first settlement on the 
gateway had succeeded so well, I set about forming 
other establishments. This year I have had four 
broods, and I trust that next season I can calcu- 
late on having nine. This will be a pretty increase, 
and it will help to supply the place of those 
which in this neighbourhood are still unfortunately 
doomed to death, by the hand of cruelty or su- 
perstition. We can now always have a peep at 
the owls, in their habitation on the old ruined 
gateway, whenever we choose. Confident of pro- 
tection, these pretty birds betray no fear when 
the stranger mounts up to their place of abode. 
I would here venture a surmise, that the barn 
owl sleeps standing. Whenever we go to look at 
it, we invariably see it «ipon the perch, bolt up- 
right; and often with its eyes closed, apparently 
