io4 ali,p:n's naturalist's librakv. 



the inner web with white; tail brown, with five rows of white 

 bars ; face white, with the lores and a large patch in front of 

 the eye black ; ruff very distinct, and composed of dark brown 

 feathers, thickly spotted with white ; this ruff continued under 

 the chin, which is white, as also the fore-neck ; remainder of 

 under surface of body white, mottled with brown markings, 

 especially on the breast, the flanks streaked with brown, the 

 breast more spotted; under wing-coverts white, with small 

 brown spots ; the greater series ashy-brown, spotted with 

 white, like the inner lining of the quills, which are ashy- 

 brown below, barred with white, the bars larger and more 

 ovate on the secondaries ; bill dull yellow ; iris bright yellow. 

 Total length, 9*5 inches ; wing, 67 ; tail, 4-4 : tarsus, 075. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but slightly larger. Total 

 length, 10-5 inches; wing, 7*5 ; tail, 4-8; tarsus, 0*85. 



Young. — Differs considerably from the adult. Chocolate- 

 brown, darker on the sides of the face and ear-coverts ; lores, 

 fore-part of cheeks, and eyebrow white, with blackish bristles 

 on the former ; scapulars and upper tail-coverts with concealed 

 white spots ; tail brown, with three rows of white spots, not 

 continuous ; under surface of body chocolate-brown, the breast 

 and abdomen mottled with white ; feathers of the thighs and 

 feet, as well as the under tail-coverts, yellowish white, with a 

 few brown spots. 



Tengmalm's Owl is often confounded with the Little Owl 

 {Carifte iwdua), but there ought to be no difficulty in dis- 

 tinguish ng the two species. Both are devoid of horns, like 

 the Tawny Owl, but Tengmalm's Owl is a more northern 

 bird, and more thickly clothed with feathers than the southern 

 Little Owl. The plumage is altogether more dense and softer 

 in the first place, and the species can at once be distinguished 

 by the feathering which covers the toes, leaving the claws only 

 discernible. In the Little Owl the feathering of the toes is 

 much more sparse, and the joints of the toes are plainly visi- 

 ble. Tengmalm's Owl is also a darker bird, and is very 

 plainly spotted with white on the head, and especially on the 

 facial ruff. The face, too, is pure white, with a very con- 

 spicuous black patch on the lores and in front of the eyes. 



Range in Great Britain. — An occasional visitor in spring and 



