THE RABBIT 
rabbits, the owl has neither the strength nor the weight to hold an old one; 
both are inveterate rat-catchers, and (the buzzard by day and the owl at 
dusk) persistently kill them whenever they have a chance. We have seen 
a brown owl between 4 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon, just after the 
pheasants had been fed in a long ride, come off an oak tree, glide down the 
ride, and pick up a rat that was busy with the pheasants’ food, and carry 
it away into the wood. Rats and mice being the natural prey of owls, we 
are inclined to think that in keeping down the numbers of these pests 
they do more good than harm, and accordingly deserve greater protection 
than is usually accorded to them. We know, from an examination of their 
“ pellets ” or “ castings ” that the number of rats, mice, and small birds 
(chiefly sparrows) captured by them is greatly in excess of any other 
prey. 
J. E. HARTING. 
211 
