A Whitewashed Character?
The B.B.C. and the official ornithologist have been com- bining to whitewash the character of that attractive alien, the little owl. It is a pretty and engaging bird and makes a good pet ; and we have all known all along that it has a particular taste for beetles, preferring them to other kinds of foods. So far, so good ; but when a man who is fond of his pheasants and spends a good deal of money on breeding them, sees a little owl come down to his coops and destroy a dozen or two of the chicks his objection to the bird, which after all would be unknown but for the importers, must be met. How comes it about that so direct a conflict of opinion has arisen between the professional ornithologist and the country landowner and his keepers ? Both presumably deal with facts not theories.
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