Ule, the 
Little Owl. 
(142) THE BIRD WORLD. 
Ule, the Little Owl. 
By G. H. LEWIN. 
Ule’s parents had been brought ever 
from Holland when very young; they 
came with many others, to Leadenhall 
Market, and from thence some 30 or 40 
had been sent in a hamper to a beautiful 
wooded district in the Eastern Mid¬ 
lands. 
The half-grown youngsters were 
placed in a large cage almost like an 
aviary, and fed regularly each day for 
a week or more, until they had got some¬ 
what accustomed to their new home; 
after that the birds were allowed to go 
free; but as they were so young and not 
used to hunting for themselves, food 
was still placed near at hand each day 
until they all got strong enough to gain 
their own livelihood. 
The New Nome. 
All this had happened some years 
ago, and Ule’s parents had got quite 
accustomed to their new country, for it 
was thoroughly suited to their tastes 
and habits; and in it old trees with 
holes, where they could hide and nest, 
were so numerous that there was never 
any need to search far for a home. Ule, 
with four brothers and sisters, was 
hatched in the hollow branch of an ash 
tree which stood with many others in 
the midst of the splendidly timbered 
park where his parents had been given 
their liberty. 
He was a small, fierce-looking ball 
of down at first, as were his fellow 
nestlings, but soon they began to grow 
larger and stronger and feathers took 
the place of down ; it was in the early 
days of June, and for the next few weeks, 
the parent Owls had a hard life of it, 
for the owlets were voracious and none 
more so than Ule himself, who would, 
if he could, have pushed his brothers and 
sisters aside to get all the food which 
was brought; but the older birds were 
wise, and he only got his proper share, 
which was, however, always just a little 
more than any of the others. 
The nest in which the youngsters 
were hatched was nothing but the rotten 
chippings at the bottom of the hole 
with a few feathers from the small birds 
caught by the parent Owls. 
Now the Babies Were Ted. 
During the time they were being 
reared, all kinds of living things paid 
toll, so long as they were not too large 
for the old birds to kill. May flies, 
beetles, and large insects, sometimes 
worms, mice, and an occasional bird 
helped to make up the menu of the 
youngsters. At first, of course, they 
could not tear their prey to pieces, so 
the parents did it for them, but as they 
grew, the parents did less and less, 
until all, and especially Ule, could eat 
anything that was brought. 
Gradually their wings grew, and the 
youngsters began to feel cramped in the 
confines of their home, when the parents 
brought food they would crowd to the 
entrance of the hole, until at last one 
bolder than the rest got right out and 
perched on the branches near; when 
once they had felt the freedom of the 
open air, they came out each day in the 
early morning, and so soon learnt to fly, 
very softly and rather weakly at first, 
but soon stronger and stronger until 
they could use their wings almost as 
well as their parents. 
The Bride of his Barents. 
Ule was the favourite, or made him¬ 
self appear so, for he was always first 
in everything, and great was his pride 
when he picked up a beetle which he 
had found himself; little by little, he 
learned how to catch insects and find 
