THE STORY OF A BROWN OWL. 
u 
it was stated that Brown Owls catch trout as they make their way 
up the shallows during the night. They certainly are not afraid of 
water, for “ Tommy ” frequently enjoyed a bath. 
Very early one Sunday morning in May I was aroused by a 
tremendous noise in my sitting room ; I jumped up and ran in 
quickly, and was surprised to see another owl on the table. He flew 
out of the window at once, but “ Tommy ” stayed with me. The 
wild bird used to come nearly every evening, and call outside my 
window, but “ Tommy” seemed frightened, aud would not go out if 
she heard him there. Once again he came into my room, and about 
5 a.m. both birds went out into the garden, and I watched cautiously 
from the window. A number of jackdaws were much disturbed, 
and kept flying round, and chattering. At one time there were 
no less than twenty-two in a row on the chapel roof. The owls 
took no notice of them, but at length the wild one, seeing me, flew 
off, pursued by the jackdaws. About this time I found pellets in my 
room, containing legs and wing-cases of cockchafers; so I concluded 
that “ Tommy ” had began to catch beetles, though, perhaps, the 
pellets may have come from the wild owl. 
At the end of June I took “ Tommy” home again, and after 
keeping her in an outhouse for two days, let her loose in the garden. 
She at once took a fancy to a weeping-ash tree, and roosted there 
all day. In the evening she flew to my hand for food when I called, 
% 
and would sometimes come to me to the bottom of the tree in day¬ 
time. During August I first saw “ Tommy ” catch beetles ; sitting 
on a bough, or sometimes on the pole of a tennis net, she watched 
for them, and when one alighted on the ground, pounced on it, and 
then returned to her perch—like a shrike. I do not think she 
caught anything but beetles at this time, for I could find nothing 
but remains of them in her pellets. 
Her ordinary note was a cry “ tu-wheet,” which was varied 
considerably by changing the emphasis on the last syllable ; and 
by listening I could tell when she was going to fly from her position. 
She also had a note almost like the cooing of a turtle-dove, which 
she only uttered when I was talking to her. Another note, “ chut- 
chut,” is, I think, an alarm note; I heard it once when a cat was 
January, 1893. 
