9 2 
EVIDENCE NOT CONCLUSIVE. 
says :—“ Standing in my garden in Bedford Park, 
Croydon, an evening or two since, I saw a white owl fly 
to a sparrow’s nest lodged on a water-spout under the 
roof of the house, and as though that visit was not 
successful, he repeated it, and then went to a nest on the 
next house, in the same way. It was too dark for me to 
see if he succeeded in his marauding expedition against 
the poor sparrows. Is it a common occurrence for an owl 
to go robbing nests ? I never saw it done before, though 
I have lived all my life in the country, and of course seen 
this favourite bird skimming over the water meadows for 
its supper.” To this communication the editor adds the 
following note :—“ This fact is extremely interesting, and, 
we think, generally unknown. It would, however, have 
added much to the interest, had the robbery actually 
been proved ; it does not seem quite certain that this 
was the owl’s object in visiting the roof.” 
Some years ago, having made the discovery that some 
stock-doves were building in the wooden spire of our 
village church, we commissioned the parish clerk to secure 
a pair of young birds as soon as they were ready 
to fly. He made several attempts for this purpose, 
paying occasional visits to see how the young birds were 
getting on, when, on going to the nest, as he supposed for 
the last time, to carry them off, he found it empty. This 
happened three or four times, and he was much puzzled 
to account for it. The birds could not have flown—they 
