Farm, near this city, with three young ones in it. The luxurious and voracious habits of the Owl may be 
imagined from the contents of this nest, which consisted of tAvo leverets, one rabbit, three blackbirds, one 
thrush, and two large trout. They were all fresh, and had been apparently caught during the night.” 
This statement interested me so much, that I requested a friend then living in Bath to ascertain who was its 
author ; and the following is an extract from a letter of the Avriter, which Avas immediately transmitted to me : — 
“ You may rely upon it that the article entitled ‘ An Owl’s Larder ’ is strictly true : when I sent it to the 
‘ Bath Journal,’ I felt convinced that most persons Avould doubt its being so. The pair of birds alluded to 
built their nest and fostered their young in the spring of this year at Burnett’s Farm, near Saltford. It AA^as 
the great quantity of fresh-killed food which attracted my attention and induced me to make a note of it.” 
Were I to enumerate all the localities in England and Scotland which are inhabited by the Brown OavI, I 
might fill many pages to no purpose ; I may mention, however, the great Avoods of Tregothnan, the seat of 
Viscount Falmouth, in Cornwall, Avhere, if it be not strictly preserved, it at all times enjoys the friendship of 
the noble proprietor. Keepers will, hoAvever, often retain their own opinions, in spite of advice and remon- 
strance, and I fear the poor bird finds but little favour in that quarter. In the romantic and beautiful 
woods on the banks of the Thames, at Cliveden in Buckinghamshire, the Brown Owl lives in comparative 
safety, breeding yearly in the deserted fox-holes and hollow trees ; and it gives me great pleasure to say 
that the Duchess of Sutherland extends to it the most friendly protection. Within a week of the time I am 
Avriting (April 8, 1864), at the close of the most wonderful evening carols of Thrushes and Blackbirds I 
ever heard, the BroAvn Owl commenced his nightly serenade, his hollow hoo-hoo-hoo resounding over the 
water until it was lost in the distance. At Elveden, in Norfolk, the bird has always been befriended by those 
excellent ornithologists Alfred and EdAA^ard Newton, Esqrs., as Avill be seen from a note given below from 
the ‘ Ootheca Wolleyana.’ I might go on particularizing many other friends whose estates the bird frequents, 
and who favour it with their protection. If alloAved to do so, the Brown Oaa4 would contentedly live in any 
of the wooded districts of England and Wales and the southern parts of Scotland In the far north of the 
latter country it becomes more scarce ; and I believe Ave have no authentic account of its having been killed 
in Ireland. On the Continent the Brown Owl enjoys a wide range, for it is found everywhere except in the 
extreme north ; it also occurs in Northern Africa, and doubtless in Asia Minor and Persia; while the Hima- 
layas are frequented by an Owl so closely resembling it, that it can scarcely be regarded as distinct. 
“From 1844, and probably for a much longer time,” says Mr, A. Newton, “a pair of Brown Owls had 
frequented some clumps of old elms near the house at Elveden. There were three of these chimps, in one 
or the other of which they invariably laid their eggs. The trees were of considerable age, and mostly quite 
holloAV, with an abundance of convenient nesting-places. By waiting quietly about an hour after sunset, my 
brother EdAvard or myself could generally discover Avhereabouts the OavIs had taken up their quarters for 
the season ; but it sometimes happened that we did not find the nest until the young were hatehed. 
Throughout the winter the Owls kept pretty mueh in company ; but tOAvards the middle of February they 
used to separate, the cock often passing the day in a tree at some distanee from the hen. As soon as he 
came out in the evening to hunt, he announced the fact by a vigorous hoot. Upon this the hen Avould 
emerge silently, and, after a short flight, reply to her mate’s summons by a gentle note. He then generally 
joined her, and they would fly off together to procure their food. Tlie eggs vA^ere commonly laid about the 
second week in March, and the nests Avere almost always easily aceessible. I never kneiv these birds occupy 
the same hole for two successive years ; but, after an interval of tAvo or three years, they Avould return to the 
same spot. There were never any materials collected to form a nest, the large Avhite eggs being always 
placed on the rotten wood, which in most cases formed a sufficient bedding. We never found more than 
four eggs in the nest. These often, but not ahvays, proved to have been incubated for different lengths of 
time, showing that the hen bird sometimes began to sit as soon as the first egg was laid ; but Ave could never 
divine what might be the cause of this irregularity of habit. After the young birds had left the nest, it Avas 
some time before they began to shift for themselves ; and they used to sit in the shadiest trees for the best 
part of the summer, uttering a plaintive note, like “ keeAA'ick,” night and day, almost Avithout cessation, to 
attract the attention of their parents, Avho assiduously brought them the spoils of the chase.” 
Every ornithologist Avho has direeted his attention to our natwe birds must haA'^e notieed the great Awiation 
Avhich occurs in the colouring of different examples of the BroAvn OavI — differences so great as to have induced 
even Linnaeus to regard them as specific, and to characterize them as such under the terms aluco and stridula ; 
and I must admit that I was for a long time sadly puzzled respecting them ; the generally received opinion, 
however, is that the rich russet-coloured birds are the young of the year, and that this colour gradually 
disappears as the bird attains maturity, Avhen it gives place in both sexes to a greyish broAvn : the former 
state has given rise to the trivial name of Tawny Owl, the latter to that of BroAvn OavI. When first hatched, 
the young birds are clothed with a grey down, upon Avhich, as they progress in stature, crescentic and 
circular markings of reddish brown gradually appear, until they assume the colouring Avhich has obtained 
for them the former appellation. 
The front figure in the accompanying Plate is someAvhat less than the natural size. 
