. Pictures of bird life : on woodland meadow, mountain and marsh . e hole carefully boarded up by thenew tenant, because of his children, as he told me ! Inever myself knew of an Owl eating children, but I sup-pose he thought he would be on the safe side. On anotheroccasion I was summoned by a breathless choir-boy oneSunday evening to come at once to the cluu-cli, as someOwls were in the roof. Jhere I found parson, organist,and choir gazing up at a small hole in tlie oak panellingof the chancel roof, at the imminent risk of a crick in theneck. From this hole it appeared that an Owl had appeare
. Pictures of bird life : on woodland meadow, mountain and marsh . e hole carefully boarded up by thenew tenant, because of his children, as he told me ! Inever myself knew of an Owl eating children, but I sup-pose he thought he would be on the safe side. On anotheroccasion I was summoned by a breathless choir-boy oneSunday evening to come at once to the cluu-cli, as someOwls were in the roof. Jhere I found parson, organist,and choir gazing up at a small hole in tlie oak panellingof the chancel roof, at the imminent risk of a crick in theneck. From this hole it appeared that an Owl had appearedduring the service. Eventually it was agreed, on my sug-gestion, that as they had taken sanctuary in tlie cIuutIi Bird Life in a Suburban Parish 147rhere, they should be allowed to remain ()ly, I hope they still abide in safety. Occasionally, when riding home in tlie gloaming, I haveseen a ghostly form fly over the fields on silent wing,and tlie AVhoo-whoo of the Tawny Owl may be oftenheard after nightfall. Sometimes I find one resting in the. ]Nest of Wild Duck (^Aitas dosais). caAity of an ancient oak, up whose trunk 1 have scrambledinside like a chimney-sweep. Some castings taken from thehollow were full of the glittenng wing-cases of beetles. TheTawny Owl breeds here regularly in some numbers, butthis particular hole seems to be only used for resting indiuing the day, and I have never found more than one 148 Pictures of Bird Life bird ill it. There is no doubt that tliere would be moreof tliese two speeies if it were not for tliat most iniquitousof traps—the pole-trap. On a keepers gallows near here are nailed up threeBarn-owls, one Tawny Owl, and two Kestrels, all of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirdspi, bookyear1903
