182 BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
has a MS. note in the margin of his copy of Yarrell's 
BrUish Birds : " Almys well known in the so««A of 
Scotland " ; and nowadays the Tawny Owl ranks as our 
commonest species, and is increasing. 
The nest of this bird may be found in a rabbit-burrow, 
in a disused Wood-Pigeon's or Crow's nest, a squirrels 
drey, in crevices of rock, or in the hollow trunk of a tree. 
Three to five eggs usually constitute a full clutch, but Mr 
R. Armstrong tells me that in March, 1892, he found a nest 
on Burn Farm (Closebum) containing eight eggs. Its chiet 
food consists of voles, moles, and such noxious quadrupeds, 
and like the other owls, it takes cockchafers on the wmg. 
Mr Fred V. Theobald states that this species is a great 
devourer of finches,* and it is known to take «n^all surface- 
swimming fish. At a nest I found on May ^th, 1905 
I recognised the remains of a half-grown pigeon and a 
three-quarter-gro.^^l rabbit ; and on another occasion 1 
found a voung leveret had been taken. 
The Tawny Owl is an early breeder, and its eggs are 
not infrequently laid m March. Mr. R. Service found a 
nest with new-laid eggs at Crichope Linn Poseb-n) on 
September 19th, 1892, but remarks that all owls that year 
" were nesting late and breeding early because of the super- 
abundance of voles. "t , 
Thesameobserver is of opinionthat, "In autumnand spring 
many migrant Brown Owls pass through our area, amongst 
whichan occasional fine example in the interestmg greyphase 
of plumage may be distmguished. So far as my experience 
goes, this grey phase of plumage has no representatives 
fvith us as breedhig birds. They are I beheve all migran s 
passing through the district, and are found ^^^f^}^ '^J^^^^ 
autumn months."$ Such a specimen was got at Cra.g^hiels 
(Kirkmichael) as late as April 23rd, 1901; but I cannot 
support the migration-theory advanced by Mr. Service. 
* Science. Progress, 1907, Vol. II., p. 268. 
t Dumfries Courier and Herald, October lUh, 1892. 
X Trans. D. and Q. Nat. Hist. Soc, December I8th, 1903. 
