670 
Wild Birds Vsefid and Injimotis. 
almost all cases due, not to owls, but to four-footed vermin ; 
and if rats are effectually excluded from the dove-cote, the 
marauding promptly comes to an end. This fact was long ago 
pointed out by Charles Waterton, the celebrated Yorkshire 
naturalist. He was a devoted admirer of the barn-owl, and, 
from his intimate knowledge of its habits, was a most able and 
compef-.ent advocate, well qualified to speak authoritatively on 
the grt-at services which it renders to mankind. 
It is usually stated that the barn-owl does not hoot, but 
there is r*-ason to believe that it does so, at least occasionally ; 
and this is my own impression, though I have no conclusive 
proof of the fact. 
The young birds make most interesting pets. Their self- 
importance is quite phenomenal, and their manners and customs 
are grotesque and comical to a degree. They have a habit of 
bending their heads down to the level of their perch, solemnly 
wagging them to and fro, of snapping their bills, of putting out 
their tongues — not in the usual vulgar manner, but sideways — 
and of hissing like a half-opened ginger-beer bottle ; their in- 
flated throats, closed eyes, and elevated beaks unmistakably 
proving the intense devotion with which they apply themselves 
to this imposing ceremony. The spectators are evidently 
intended to be deeply impressed ; and the owls feel quite hurt 
if the proceedings are interrupted and the effect marred by a 
gentle chuck under the chin. Two young birds, now in my 
possession (one of which is shown in fig. 3), are very tame, 
taking their food readily from the hand. The capacity of 
their throat is somewhat surprising ; not only do they swallow 
small trout whole, but a chaffinch, feathers and all, was dis- 
posed of in the same manner ; the latter, however, necessi- 
tating many vigorous gulps before it was satisfactorily stowed 
away. 
The Tawny owl (Stnx aluco), or, as it is frequently called, 
the Brown owl. Wood-owl, or Hoot-owl (fig. 4), lives principally 
in the woods, usually bringing up its young in the hollow of a 
large tree. Its plumage, both above and beneath, is beautifully 
mottled with various shades of grey and brown, and it is there- 
fore very different in appearance from the white-breasted barn- 
owl, to which, however, it bears a strong resemblance in its 
useful and blameless character. The male is about fifteen inches 
in length, and the female is somewhat longer. 
A very large portion of its food consists of rats and mice, 
and it ranks with the barn-owl and kestrel as one of the farmer’s 
best friends. Water-rats, moles, and young rabbits frequently 
form part of its diet, and more rarely leverets, squirrels, small 
