. Egyptian birds : for the most part seen in the Nile Valley . ound. The Barn Owl has a custom which those whosuffer from indigestion may well envy, and that isits power of disgorging, after every meal, all theindigestible portions of its dinner in a compact,round, hard pellet, about the size of a nut: andfrom under some of its roosting-places greatbasketsfull of these pellets have been collected,and men of science analyzing these have obtainedtherefrom the most precise information as to thediet of this much-persecuted bird. From suchobservations the value of its services in our owncountry wer
. Egyptian birds : for the most part seen in the Nile Valley . ound. The Barn Owl has a custom which those whosuffer from indigestion may well envy, and that isits power of disgorging, after every meal, all theindigestible portions of its dinner in a compact,round, hard pellet, about the size of a nut: andfrom under some of its roosting-places greatbasketsfull of these pellets have been collected,and men of science analyzing these have obtainedtherefrom the most precise information as to thediet of this much-persecuted bird. From suchobservations the value of its services in our owncountry were rather tardily recognised. But nowthat it is established that nine-tenths of its foodconsists of mice and rats, the law of the land hasbeen invoked to protect it. Lord Lilford writeson the extraordinary appetite of young owls, that BARN OWL, WHITE OWL, SCREECH OWL 37 I have seen a young Barn Owl take down ninefull-grown mice one after another till the tail ofthe ninth stuck out of his mouth, and in threehours time the young gourmand was crying outfor Fig. 6. From Deir-el-Bahari. THE LITTLE OWL Carine meridionalis Plumage—A plain greyish-brown with dark markingsand spots on the breast; eyes yellow. Entire length, 8*5inches. The Little j Owl is a common bird, but it isnot, when flying, very owl-like in appearance; anddoubtless it is very often seen and not recognisedas an owl at all, especially as it flies freely in thedaytime, and I have even seen it sitting facingthe sun on some wooden trellis-work in a gardenat mid-day; and not only once, but morning aftermorning it could be seen enjoying the peculiarity, the very opposite of what wefind in most owls, has led to an awkwardposition in some parts of England—for in certainof tlie Midland counties this owl is rapidly be-coming a perfect scourge. Some distinguishednaturalists in Northamptonshire and other countiesthought it would be good to introduce thisundoubtedly rather fascinating bird from theContinen
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