COMMON SCREECH-OWL. 393 



times of an ivory or bony white, often tinged with yel- 

 low. The facial disks are sometimes all white, more 

 frequently with a patch of dull yellowish-red before the 

 eye. The ruff also is sometimes white, sometimes 

 with the tips of its feathers yellowish-brown or buff, 

 and in some cases the tips of the upper part near the 

 bill are of the latter colour, while those of the lower 

 part are dark brown. The colours of the back vary in 

 the proportion of yellow and grey, there being much 

 more of the latter in some individuals. The lower parts 

 are sometimes pure white, frequently pure white with 

 a slight pale dusky spot near the tip of each, and some- 

 times with a larger and darker spot ; sometimes, how- 

 ever, they are tinged with yellow. 



Habits. — The barn owl is pretty generally distri- 

 buted in England and Scotland, but appears to be more 

 frequent in the former country. It is by far the most 

 numerous species of our owls, but does not occur in 

 the wilder and bleaker districts, nor in the north-western 

 isles. It reposes in old buildings, barns, the steeples 

 of churches, towers, crevices of rocks, and sometimes 

 in trees in unfrequented places. During the day it 

 stands nearly erect, with its feathers drawn close to- 

 gether, in some recess from which the direct rays of 

 the sun are excluded. If disturbed and forced from its 

 retreat at this time, it flies in a wavering and unde- 

 cided manner, as if it were undetermined which way 

 to proceed ; and on such occasions, or even when perch- 

 ed in an open place, it is liable to be followed or sur- 

 rounded by small birds of different species, which seem 

 to be attracted by some instinct, the object of which is 

 l1 



