Tawny Owl 
in Captivity. 
( 36 ) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
animals— perhaps I ought to say 
mammals—and birds to become more 
wild and savage during the breeding- 
period, in order the better to protect 
their helpless young. In some specie? 
this instinct is more pronounced than in 
others, and the Tawny Owl'simply be¬ 
longs, in common with many others, to 
the former class. 
Should he Taken Young. 
This fact need in no way deter anyone 
from keeping this Owl in an aviary, for 
if, as I have said, it be taken young, 
preferably in the down, and reared by 
hand, it will become as tame and easy 
to handle as any other bird under similar 
conditions. This, apart from my own 
experience and that of some people I 
know, is borne out by a paragraph that 
recently appeared concerning some 
Tawny Owls that were captured near 
Blackburn. One of these Owls is now 
fully grown, and—to quote—quite tame 
and gentle, and can be handled with 
ease, although—still to quote—in their 
wild state Wood Owls are decidedly 
vicious ! The paragraph also goes on to 
describe how this particular Owl’s former 
owner used to take it perched on his 
shoulder for cycle rides, and that it was 
not dismayed by passing vehicles. 
Familiar Friends. 
This reminds me somewhat of a 
friend of ours who once had in his 
possession a couple of Tawny Owls. I 
forget how he obtained them, but the 
birds were very tame and much attached 
to him, and he frequently used to take 
them with him, perched one on either 
shoulder, for long walks, and they never 
attempted to fly away. One night he 
thought he heard one of his pets calling 
and hooting in a peculiar manner, but 
being half asleep he paid no particular 
attention, and soon dozed off again, 
much to his subsequent sorrow. The 
next morning, after considerable search¬ 
ing, the poor bird was found drowned 
in the water butt. How it managed to 
fall in remains a mystery. Both the 
Tawny and Barn Owl—personally I pre 
fer the former, as being much prettier 
both in shape and colour—will thrive 
in captivity equally well in country or 
town, for the aviary need only be quite 
a simple affair. 
Will Thrive in Town or Country . 
Those who live in the country usually 
have a stable or outhouse, of which they 
can utilise a portion as an aviary; but 
the town or suburban dweller is not 
always so fortunate in this matter. How¬ 
ever, to most houses there is a garden or 
yard of sufficient size to admit of a small 
shed—a lean-to or otherwise—being 
erected, and this will meet all the re¬ 
quirements necessary. Probably a lean- 
to shed is best, where space is limited, 
as it takes up less room; also it can be 
made fairly high, which gives the birds 
a better chance of exercising their 
wings, though, as a rule, I think they 
prefer an enclosure narrow rather than 
wide, not particularly high, but as long 
as possible, so that they may have a 
good flight from one end to the other. 
A Retiring Box. 
A good stout perch should be fixed up 
at the end farthest from the door, and 
then on a level with the perch a wooden 
box should be nailed against the wall, 
for the birds to retire into. The box, 
however, is not an absolute essential to 
their well-being—after they are fully 
grown, that is—for they do not require 
it for sleeping in, but they sometimes 
like to go inside to eat, especially when 
they have anything in the butchering or 
quartering line to perform. For the 
floor any sort of coarse grit may be used, 
but the bare earth, turned over occa¬ 
sionally, does very well. The inner 
part of the doorway should be fitted 
with a frame door of wire netting, so 
that the outer wooden door, which 
should be closed at night, may be left 
open during the day, for the Owls ap¬ 
preciate a certain amount of light, and 
it is a fallacy to suppose that they sleep 
all day long and cannot see daylight; 
at any rate, in confinement they do not 
do the former, though they may not be 
particularly active. And as to seeing, 
I have tested them over and over again, 
and found that up to a certain point 
they can see quite well. 
