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nest soon becomes very unsanitary and 

 ill-smelling. 



"The eggs, from five to seven in 

 number, are at first a pale greenish- 

 blue, but soon becomes stained and 

 discolored to a dirty yellowish color." 



Notes. — This bird is rather rare here, 

 but has been seen on the lawns, feeding 

 upon insects on the ground. Once 

 seen, it will not be easily forgotten. 



Swinhoe thus describes the note of 

 this bird : — it " is produced by puffing 

 out the sides of the neck, and hammer- 

 ing on the ground at the production of 

 each note, thereby exauating the air 

 at the end of the series of three notes, 

 which make up its song. Before it 

 repeats the call, it repeats the puffing 

 of the neck with a slight gurgling noise. 

 When it is able to strike its bill, the 

 sound is the correct hoo-hoo-hoo, but 

 when perching on a rope, and only 

 jerking out the song with the nods of 

 the head, the notes most resemble the 

 syllables hoh-hoh-hoh." 



Family, Strigldae, The Owls. 



The Owls form a natural and sharp- 

 ly defined group. Without going into 

 the anatomical features which separate 

 them, they are easily recognised by 

 their peculiar face in which the eyes 

 are fixed looking forward, by the disc 

 of feathers which surrounds the face, 

 the soft plumage, and the reversible 

 fourth toe. 



Owls are nocturnal, feeding largely 

 on small mammals. Their prey is 

 captured with their talons, and, unless 

 too large, is swallowed whole. The 

 bones and hair are afterward ejected 

 at the mouth in matted pellets. The 

 eggs of Owls are uniformly white and 

 unmarked. 



