. British birds for cages and aviaries; a hanbook relating to all British birds which may be kept in confinement .. . invariably mobbed by the small birds andhas to beat a hasty retreat. Its natural diet consists of FOR CAGES AND AVIARIES. 14 mice and other small rodents, and the tales circulated bygamekeepers and others that it is destructive to the sacredPartridge and birds of that class, are utterly devoid offoundation, the proof being that in those localities whereit has been exterminated field mice have increased to analarming extent. It also eats the larger beetles, especially the destru
. British birds for cages and aviaries; a hanbook relating to all British birds which may be kept in confinement .. . invariably mobbed by the small birds andhas to beat a hasty retreat. Its natural diet consists of FOR CAGES AND AVIARIES. 14 mice and other small rodents, and the tales circulated bygamekeepers and others that it is destructive to the sacredPartridge and birds of that class, are utterly devoid offoundation, the proof being that in those localities whereit has been exterminated field mice have increased to analarming extent. It also eats the larger beetles, especially the destructiveinsect known asthe stag beetle:this, or rather itslarva, does muchharm to trees, inthe heart of whichit lives, moves andhas its being forseveral years be-fore undergoingits final metamor-phosis. The cry of thisOwl is a harshprolongation ofthe sounds tee-whit (the i tobe pronounced inthe old Englishfashion and notee, which is theGerman sound ofthe third vowel),which is so weird as to cause wholly unnecessary alarm,for the bird is not only quite harmless but extremelyuseful when confined to its native The Barn Owl. The Tawny Owl. This bird differs a good deal from the Barn Owl, notonly in appearance but in habits. In feather it is darker,if in size about the same, but it nests on the ground, asoften as not in the mouth of a rabbit-burrow, but some- 148 BRITISH BIRDS times with no better protection for its four white eggs thanan overhanging clump of briars or gorse, and occasionallyin the hollow trunk of a tree. The young can be reared on the flesh of small birdsand rodents, if desired; but Owls are not nice birds tokeep, seeing that they are nocturnal in their habits, sleepwhen their owners are awake, and wake up when thelatter are or should be asleep. Some time since a correspondent wrote to ask what otherfood he could give to a tame Owl besides, or except,flesh, suggesting dog-biscuit, various seeds and bread andmilk: he was doubtless surprised and probably disgus
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectcag
