THE STORY OF A BROWN OWL. 
13 
summer she certainly did not hoot, but only used those notes 
which I have already mentioned, and for several days I attributed 
the splendid hoots I now heard to some cock bird which she had 
attracted. But one evening, when the gas was burning, she came 
into my room, and there and then gave most decided proof of her 
powers. I now rarely heard the cry “ tu-wlieet,” but only the 
well-known hoot of the Brown Owl, and the cooing note when 
she was answering me. Before leaving home I fixed a small barrel 
up in one of the ivied trees in the hope that “ Tommy ” might 
use it as a shelter, and perhaps nest there in the spring. I did 
not try to take her up to Oxford again, but arranged for food to 
be put regularly on my window ledge, which she always took. 
I came home again before the end of March, and “Tommy” 
flew to me at my window for food, and was soon as familiar 
as ever, flying about my room while I was there, and perching on 
my head when I was in bed. She roosted in the ivy as before, 
but I found that before going out hunting she always went inside 
the barrel which I had put up in the tree. She did not stay 
inside long, and I could not decide what she went there for, as 
I was afraid of disturbing her by climbing up. She took food 
from me, but not very much, so she must have found plenty for 
herself. One night in the first week in April, I heard another 
owl calling close by, and he and “ Tommy ” kept up a very 
noisy conversation all night. “ Tommy ” ceased hooting, but 
kept uttering the “tu-wheet” note, often rapidly repeated, and 
ending in a kind of scream. Next day the cock bird stayed in the 
garden, for I discovered him perched in an evergreen oak, and he 
hooted several times during the day. When evening came the owls 
began cooing to each other, as “ Tommy” used to coo tome, and 
later on I heard them calling to each other, one hooting, and 
the other crying “ tu-wheet.” Afterwards I found out that it was 
not always the cock bird which hooted. “ Tommy ” came as 
usual for meat, and I am as certain as I can be, without actually 
t 
seeing her do it, that “Tommy” sometimes fed the other owl. 
For often, and especially on wet nights, when I opened my 
window, both owls were outside, and at once began making a 
January, 1893. 
