3 
by these birds. The habit is common to ali the Hawks and Owls,, 
and also in a lesser degree to Gulls and Crows,* and in the case of 
raptorial birds at any rate, it affords a certain and accurate means 
of ascertaining the food of the birds in question. Some of the 
results of Dr. Altum’s investigations are to be found in the “ Journ. 
fiir Ornith.” (1863, p. 218), but a more complete statement was 
supplied to the German Ornithological Society in 1862 : — 
No. of 
Pellets 
examined. 
Bats. 
Eats. 
Mice. 
j Voles. 
Shrews. 
Moles. 
Birds. 
Beetles. 
Brown Owl ... 
Long-eared Owl 
White Owl ... 
210 
25 
706 
16 
6 
3 
42 
6 
237 
296 
35 
693 
33 
1590 
48 
18 
2 
22 
(19 spai’rows) 
48 
(besides 
many cock* 
chafers) 
Wiedemann, Bar and Uttendorfer also obtained similar results 
on a smaller scale. 
In England, this interesting branch of research has been 
investigated by at least one naturalist, Mr. L. E. Adams, who has 
given special attention to the various species of Owls and the Kestrel.! 
The results of his labours up to 1898 are embodied in a paper 
published in the “ Journal of the Northamptonshire Nat. Hist. Soc.” 
(1898), p. 45, and subsequently reprinted. They may be roughly 
tabulated as follows :— 
No. of Pellets 
examined. 
Bats. 
Moles. 
Shrews. 
Mice. 
Eats. 
Field Voles. 
Water Voles. 
Eabbits. 
1 Frogs, Toads.j 
Sparrows. 
Other Birds. 
Squirrels. 
W 
Oi 
i-H 
03 
O) 
M 
Brown Owl 
- 
- 
i 
106 
38 
17 
96 
— 
4 
3 
20 
4 
1 
— 
Long-eared Owl 
( about 1 
l 250 3 
3 
— 
26 
400 
84 
15 
2 
— 
8 
10 
21 
— - 
— 
White Owl 
1124 
_ 
5 
469 
726 
205 
997 
10 
2 
9 
97 
81 
1 
3 
Little Owl 
13 
7 
2 
1 
8 
1 
1 
Mr. Adams has, however, continued his researches up to the 
present time, but as far as I am aware has published no further 
paper on the subject. A series of about 240 pellets of the White 
Owl (S. flammea, L.), collected by the writer from the borders of 
* The same habit has been observed in the case of the Shrikes, Swallows, 
Flycatchers, and Pigeons. 
f See also “Birds of Cheshire,”p. 122,and “Zool.,” 1897, p.231, and 1898, p. 215. 
