forced to conceal himself in a little coppice, an Owl settled on the bush under which he was hid, and induced his pursuers not to search there, as they thought it impossible that any man could be concealed in a place where that bird would perch." It was formerly supposed that the Barn Owls laid their eggs about April, but recent observations have proved this statement to be incorrect. The breeding season really commences in the autumn, and during this period the happy pair testify their love and devotion to each other by loud and constant cries, as they fly sportively together around and over the towers and turrets near which they have taken up their abode--nest there is none, the young family being reared at the bottom of a hole, or in some retired corner. The nestlings are reared upon mice, and are most carefully tended by their parents, who nurse their progeny so devotedly that they have frequently been known to carry food to them for weeks or even months, after they have been captured and shut up in a cage. [Illustration] THE GAPERS (_Hiantes_). The order to which we have given the name of GAPERS (_Hiantes_) includes a considerable number of families, which, though differing considerably from each other in some trifling respects, are related in many essential particulars. Nearly all these birds are of small or moderate size, and are recognisable by their slender though powerful body, short neck, large and remarkably flat head, long narrow-pointed wings, and short feeble legs. Their beak is short, broad, and flat, tapering towards its extremity, and although somewhat varied in its formation, is always surrounded by a stiff, bristle-like growth; the gape is so unusually wide as to constitute the most remarkable feature they all have in common. The plumage is sometimes harsh and dusky, and sometimes soft, glossy, and brilliantly coloured. The birds belonging to this order principally frequent the warmest portions of our globe, and are rarely met with in high northern latitudes, as the latter afford them but a very scanty supply of the insects upon which they mainly subsist. Heat is essential to the abundance of their favourite food, and it is for this reason that such species as inhabit the temperate zones are compelled to quit their native lands for sunnier climes as winter approaches. Some occupy forests; others mountains, valleys, or open plains; and many, when about to make their nests, seek the immediate vicinity of man. All the members of this order are possessed of extraordinary powers of flight, and pass the greater part of their lives in pursuing their tiny prey through the realms of air. Upon the ground they move awkwardly and slowly, and are usually scarcely more adroit in climbing among the branches of trees. The sight of all these birds is excellent, but their other senses appear to be only slightly developed. In temper they are social, brisk, and restless, and exhibit much tenderness towards their young. Their