9 
her mind to have to do with things of fearful and portentous 
shape, and to hear many a midnight wailing in the surrounding 
woods. I do not think that, up to the day of this old lady’s 
death, which took place in her <S4th year, she ever looked with 
pleasure or contentment on the barn owl, as it flew round the 
large sycamore trees which grow near the old ruined gateway. 
When I found that this first settlement on the gateway had 
succeeded so well, I set about forming other establishments. 
This year I have had four broods, and I trust that next season i 
■can calculate on having nine. This will be a pretty increase, 
and it will help to supply the place of those which in this neigh¬ 
bourhood are still unfortunately doomed to death, by the hand of 
cruelty or superstition. We can now always have a peep at the 
owls, in their habitatibn on the old ruined gateway, whenever we 
•choose. Confident of protection, these pretty birds betray no fear 
when the stranger mounts up to their place of abode. I would 
here venture a surmise, that the bam owl sleeps standing. When¬ 
ever we go to look at it, we [invariably see it upon the perch, 
bolt upright ; and often with its eyes closed, apparently fast 
asleep. Buffon and Bewick err (no doubt unintentionally) when 
they say that the barn owl snores during its repose. What they 
took for snoring was the cry of the young birds for food. I have 
fully satisfied myself on this score some years ago. However, 
in December, 1823, I was much astonished to hear this same 
snoring kind of noise, which had been so common in the month 
of July. On ascending the ruin, I found a brood of young owls 
in the apartment. 
Upon this ruin is placed a perch, about a foot from the hole 
at which the owls enter. Sometimes, at mid-day, when the 
weather is gloomy, you may see an owl upon it, apparently 
•enjoying the refreshing diurnal breeze. This year (1831) a pair 
of barn owls hatched their young on the 7th of September, in a 
sycamore tree near the old ruined gateway. 
