184 
OWLS. 
I 
entirely putting out this light, is not known, hut its 
use to it as a fishing-bird is very great, for it not only 
attracts the fish within reach, but when they are 
there, enables the Bittern to see them without 
difficulty. 
Owls have been noticed for an extraordinary at- 
tachment to their young ; whether, however, it 
exceeds that of other birds or animals may be diffi- 
cult to say, hut they will certainly visit and feed 
them long after they have been separated from the 
nest. Some young Owls, which had been so far 
tamed as to take food from the hand, were observed 
to lose all their familiarity on being hung out during 
the night, in consequence of renewed visits from the 
supposed parent birds, who fed them with as much 
care and attention as if they had been with them 
without interruption. 
Another instance in point was witnessed by a 
Swedish gentleman, who resided several years on a 
farm, near a steep mountain, on the summit of which 
two Eagle-Owls (Stria ? bubo ) had built their nest. 
One day, in the month of July, a young bird, having 
quitted the nest, was caught by the servants. This 
bird was, considering the season of the year, well 
feathered ; but the down appeared here and there 
between those feathers which had not yet attained 
their full growth. After it was caught, it was shut 
up in a large hen coop, when to his surprise, on the 
following morning, a fine young partridge was found 
lying dead before the door of the coop. It was im- 
mediately concluded that this provision had been 
brought there by the old Owls, which no doubt had 
been making search in the night-time for their lost 
