wishing to see its method of seizing a live bird, I one evening turned two sparrows into its apartment; of these it took no notice whatever, which apparent apathy on the part of my pet, I attributed to the brightness of the evening, but great was my astonishment on the following morning to find one sparrow roosting quietly in a corner, and the other, bold as he was and resolved to the letter to take the bull by the horns, snugly domiciled on the top of the owl's head, actually nestling in the soft long feathers there, while the owl, good easy bird, sat on its perch quite unconcerned, though fasting for thirty-six hours. Macgillivray affirms that it is only to be seen in the enclosed and wooded parts of the country, but I can speak from experience that it frequents no less the wilder and bleaker districts, abounding indeed in all places; and taking up its abode indiscriminately in towers, ruined buildings, ivy-covered and hollow trees.

Tawny Owl (Syrnium stridula), very plentiful throughout the county is this species, though not so often seen as the last, but perhaps this may arise from its more retired habits, as it loves the solitude of thick woods, and seldom leaves its lurking place till nightfall; it is more destructive than the 'Barn' owl, not always contenting itself with mice, rats, and moles, but sometimes preying on young rabbits and leverets as well: these birds are very clamorous at night, making the woods and meadows re-echo with their loud and melancholy hootings: Gilbert White declares that at such times their throats swell as big as a hen's egg; and Waterton says that neither in Europe nor America has he ever heard an owl utter sounds so much resembling the human voice as those which our 'Tawny' owl sends forth that observant naturalist adds "were you to pronounce the letter O in a loud and very clear tone of voice, and then after a short pause, repeat the same letter in a drawling tremulous accent, you would have a tolerably just idea of the hooting of the Tawny Owl: it will some times produce a sharp cry, which sounds not unlike the word 'quo-ah,' both male and female utter this cry." This species occasionally adopts the deserted nest of another bird, but usually lays its eggs in a hollow tree, on the soft bed of its own pulverized castings: Hewitson says, that

like the Barn owl, it deposits its eggs at irregular intervals, the first being sat upon as soon as laid; the young of the same nest differ in consequence very considerably in size. It has been called the Wood, the Iry, and the Brown, as well as the Tawny Owl

Little Owl (Noctua passerina). Rare in England, but very numerous on the continent, especially in the warmer parts of it, is this diminutive species, scarcely larger than the blackbird; it is essentially nocturnal, being quite incapable of moving by daylight, but as night approaches, it becomes extremely active, and shows great dexterity in securing its prey, which consists of mice, beetles, and small birds. Rennie, in his edition of " White's Selborne" says, "I recollect seeing in Wiltshire the remains of a specimen of the rare Sparrow Owl, Striz passerina,' nailed up to a barn door :" but more recently another was killed in the neighbourhood of Chippenham in 1838, and is now in Mr. Marsh's collection.

This closes the list of the owls, found in this county, and with the owls is concluded the account of the first division or Order, the Birds of Prey.

ALFRED CHARLES SMITH.

Yatesbury Rectory, Calne, March 3rd, 1857.

Kington St. Michael.

By the Rev. J. E. JACKSON.

CHE original name of this Parish was simply Kington. Upon its connection with Glastonbury Abbey it was called Kington Monachorum or Moyne: sometimes, from a Priory of Nuns settled here, Kington Monialium or Minchin Kington (Minchin being Saxon for Nun); and finally (about A.D. 1280) from the Saint to whom the Parish Church was then newly dedicated, Kington St. Michael.

Including the two large Tythings of Easton Piers and Kington Langley, the Parish contains 3950 acres, about 1300 inhabitants, and 220 houses. Easton Piers is in the Hundred of Malmsbury; the rest in that of North Damerham.

It lies about three miles north of Chippenham, the turnpike road to Malmsbury passing between the two villages of Kington St. Michael and Kington Langley, about three quarters of a mile from each. Eastward of this road the soil is chiefly Oxford clay: westward, cornbrash and Forest marble. The adjoining parishes are, on the north, Leigh Delamere and Stanton St. Quintin: on the west, Yatton Kaynell, and Allington (in Chippenham Parish); on the east, Draycote Cerne; and on the south, Chippenham and Langley Burrell. There is a small outlying portion of Kington called Peckingel on the bank of the Avon, between Langley Burrell and the Tithertons: and it has also three or four pieces of detached land between Allington and "The Long Stone," on the Marshfield Road.

As the name denotes, it was anciently crown property. In the year 934 King Athelstan bestowed a large portion of it upon Atheline one of his officers by a Deed,' in substance as follows:

1 Printed in the New Monasticon, vol. i., Glastonbury: p. 59. Is the name of this Saxon officer to be recognized in that of the contiguous hamlet of Allington: scil. Atheline-town?

"I, ATHELSTAN, King of the Anglians, raised by the hand of the Almighty to the throne of all Britain, freely give to my faithful servant Atheline a certain portion of land, to wit, 15 cassates (farms) in a place called by the natives At Kingtone; to hold it with all rights, &c., thereto belonging, free from the irksome yoke of bondage, so long as he lives, to leave the same for ever at his death to any heir he pleases. If any one (which God forbid) swollen with insolence, shall dare to infringe or curtail in any matter great or small this my writ of gift, let him know that at the last day of Judgment when the Archangel's trumpet shall sound, he, together with the traitor Judas (called by the Sower's holy seed, the Son of perdition), and with all impious unbelievers who deny that on the altar of the Cross Christ took away the sins of the world, shall perish everlastingly in fiery torment.

This grant is made in the year of our Lord 934, at the town of Buckingham.

+ ATHELSTAN, King, &c.

+ CONSTANTINE, Viceroy, and many others." A few years afterwards, Edmund the Elder, Athelstan's brother, by Deed dated at Chippenham A.D. 940, gave to his officer Wilfric 30 holdings (mansiunculas) at Langley: which is presumed to mean Kington Langley.1

MANOR UNDER GLASTONBURY ABBEY.

In the same reign (c. 941) the connexion of this manor with Glastonbury Abbey began by a donation of eight hides from the King, and of the 30 mansiunculae just mentioned, from Wilfric.2

In 987 the monks received a further and principal gift of 40 manses at Kington from Ethelred II., or the Unready, "to be by them held so long as the Catholic Faith should endure in England."

It was probably as a fee for this alienation and in order to secure the estate to the Church that a devout Lady, one Elswith wife of a nobleman called Elphean, paid to the crown 40 mancuses3 of gold.

1 The Deed, naming the boundaries, is in the New Monast. I. p. 60.

2 New Mon. I. p. 4.

3 From manu-cusa, coined with the hand.

For the same purpose she also purchased Merton in South Damerham. King Ethelred's grant of Kington is witnessed by (the probable instigator to the gift) Dunstan Archbishop of Canterbury, afterwards Abbot of Glaston, and Oswald Archbishop of York. These donations were confirmed by the Popes, Lucius II in 1144, and Alexander III. in 1168.2

From the Glastonbury charter and some other scources, a few notices of Kington have been gleaned, possibly interesting to local readers.

The only place under the name of Chintone in Wilts, mentioned in the Domesday survey, is an estate of no great extent then held by Ralph de Mortimer, a large owner in this neighbourhood. It had been held in the reign of the Confessor by one Alwin a Saxon, under the Church of Glastonbury. It is probable that the land alluded to was that afterwards given by the Mortimers to endow the Priory of Kington.3 The principal estate of the Abbey of Glastonbury seems in the Domesday survey to be described under the name of Langleghe.

The wood called Haywood, then much larger than it is now, belonged at this time partly to the Abbey, partly to one William of Haywood (now a farm house adjoining): and between these proprietors many disputes took place, according to documents which John Aubrey has copied.5

In other documents it is mentioned that the Abbot of Stanley had 40 acres at the western side of the Parish: and the Abbot of Malmsbury 21 acres, given to his house by William Wayte of Chippenham, and Edith his wife: doing service for the same to the Abbot of Glastonbury as Lord of the Fee." Thomas Verdon was also a holder under the Church. The Prior and Convent of Monkton Farley (chief landowners in Allington) exchanged 22 acres near Fowleswyke Gate with the Abbot of Malmsbury."

1 New Mon. Glaston, No. C. and Sir R. C. Hoare's South Damerham, p. 3. 2 Do. I. 37. 3 Wyndham's Domesday, p. 389.

4 Wyndham's Domesday, p. 109. 5 Collect. for N. Wilts, I. 102. 6 Malms. Chartulary, No. 218.