378 



ALUCO TENGMALMI. 



TENGMALM'S WOOD-OWL. 



Upper parts liver-brown, spotted with white ; throat 

 brown ; tail with five rows of transversely elongated 

 narrow spots ; lower parts yellowish- white, with longi- 

 tudinal brown markings ; tarsi and toes covered with 

 long soft downy feathers. 



Adult. — This species bears so strong a resemblance 

 to the Passerine Hawk- Owl in size and colour, that the 

 two might very readily be confounded by a superficial 

 observer. It is therefore very probable that indivi- 

 duals of the Tengmalm's Wood- Owl have been mista- 

 ken for the Passerine ; and for this reason, although I 

 cannot find any authentic account of more than one spe- 

 cimen procured in this country, I deem it expedient to 

 allow it to rank as a British Bird. The specimen from 

 which the following description has been taken is in the 

 Museum of the University of Edinburgh, and was ob- 

 tained from North America. I have identified it with 

 two figures in Mr Audubon's unrivalled collection of 

 drawings ; and believe it to be the same as Mr Selby's 

 figure of Tengmalm's Owl, in Plate XXVI. of his Il- 

 lustrations, although in it the spots of the tail are dif- 

 ferent, and the brown colour lighter. The bill is short, 

 very deep, and strong ; the outline of the upper mandi- 

 ble is curved from the base, its ridge convex, as are the 

 sides, the edges sharp and incurved anteriorly, the tip 



