3o6 HAWK-OWL. 



forms has been found in Greenland or Iceland. The European race 

 inhabits the pine-forests of Scandinavia and Northern Russia, in 

 the latter up to 68° N. lat. ; and though only breeding occasionally 

 in the Baltic Provinces, it does so regularly as far south as the 

 Governments of Moscow and Smolensk, and in the mountain 

 forests of the Ural down to Orenburg. Thence it moves in winter 

 to Poland and Northern Germany ; very rarely to Heligoland ; 

 occasionally to Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Northern France, 

 Lorraine, and Alsace ; exceptionally to Austria. In Siberia, where 

 it is found from the Ural to Kamchatka, and down to 43° N. in 

 winter, its colours are purer and more strongly contrasted — as in the 

 case of many other species ; while this North-Siberian form, Surnia 

 doliata (Pallas), occurs in Alaska. There it meets with the American 

 race already mentioned, which ranges eastward to Labrador, and as 

 far south as Pennsylvania in severe winters. 



The Hawk-Owl begins to breed by the middle of April ; and 

 Wolley, to whom we owe the earliest details respecting its habits, 

 found that it occupied holes in trees and the nesting-boxes set up 

 by the peasants for the use of Ducks, in which it lays from 5 to 

 8 white eggs: measurements i"55 by i"2 in. In Arctic America 

 these are said to be deposited in nests built of small sticks and twigs, 

 in pine-trees : doubtless the deserted habitations of other birds, such 

 as are utilized by the Long-eared Owl. The male bird fiercely 

 attacks any intruder upon its domain, and both sexes appear to take 

 part in the task of incubation. Adults are in full moult before the 

 young can fly (Wheelwright). The cry is similar to that of a 

 Hawk: a bird which, from its long tail, sharp wings and quick flight, 

 this species much resembles in appearance. It flies much in the 

 day-time and has been seen to strike down the Siberian Jay on the 

 wing ; its food consists of lemmings and other rodents, large insects, 

 and birds up to the size of Ptarmigan or a Willow-Grouse ; to obtain 

 the latter of which it will sometimes attend upon the sportsman. 



The general colour of the upper parts is dark brown, spotted with 

 white ; facial disk incomplete ; tail long and graduated, narrowly 

 barred and broadly tipped with white ; under parts white, barred 

 with dark reddish-brown ; feet covered to the claws with greyish- 

 white feathers ; bill yellowish-white ; irides straw-yellow ; no oper- 

 culum. Length 15 to 16 in. (tail about 7-5 in.) ; wang 9'2-9-5 in. ; 

 the female being larger than the male, and having the dark bars on 

 the under parts slightly broader as well as more rufous. 



