92 LITTLE OWL. 



takes shelter from the light ; at the approach of twilight it is all life 

 and activity ; being a noted and dexterous mouse-catcher. It is found 

 as far north as Nova Scotia, and even Hudson's Bay ; is frequent in 

 Russia ; builds its nest generally in pines, half way up' the tree, and 

 lays two eggs, which, like those of the rest of its genus, are white. 

 The melancholy and gloomy umbrage of those solitary evergreens forms 

 its favorite haunts ; where it sits dozing and slumbering all day, lulled 

 by the roar of the neighboring ocean. 



The Little 0^^\ is seven inches and a half long, and eighteen inches 

 in extent ; the Upper parts are a plain brown olive, the scapulars, and 

 some of the greater and lesser coverts, being spotted with white ; the 

 first five primaries are crossed obliquely with five bars of white ; tail 

 rounded, rather darker than the body, crossed with two rows of white 

 spots, and tipped with white ; whole interior vanes of the wings spotted 

 with the same ; auriculars yellowish brown ; crown, upper part of the 

 neck, and circle surrounding the ears, beautifully marked with numerous 

 points of white, on an olive brown ground ; front pure white, ending in 

 long blackish hairs ; at the internal angle of the eyes, a broad spot of 

 black, radiating outwards ; ii'ides pale yellow ; bill a blackish horn 

 color, lower parts streaked with yellow ochre and reddish bay ; thighs 

 and feathered legs pale bufi"; toes covered to the claws, which are black, 

 large, and sharp pointed. 



The bird from which the foregoing figure and description were taken, 

 was shot on the seashore, near Great Egg Harbor, in New Jersey, in 

 the month of November ; and on dissection was found to be a female. 

 Turton describes a species called the White-fronted Owl [S. albifrons), 

 which in every thing, except in size, agrees with this bird, and has very 

 probably been taken from a young male ; which is sometimes found 

 considerably less than the female. 



