STREAKED TUFTED-OWL. 4I7 



Length to end of tail 16 inches, to end of wings 18 ; 

 extent of wings 40; wing from flexure 13; tail 6^; 

 bill along the back l-^\j, along the edge of lower man- 

 dible 1^5; tarsus 1/2 ; fiist toe p^, its claw -frj; se- 

 cond toe 1, its claw j§ ; third toe lj\, its claw \*^i ; 

 fourth toe j^g, its claw p^j. 



Variations* — I am not aware of any remarkable 

 variations exhibited by this bird. 



Habits. — All that I know of the habits of this spe- 

 cies, from my own observation, is very little. I have 

 met with it only in winter and spring, at which season 

 I have seen it in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. It 

 is sometimes found by day among the grass, its favourite 

 station being the margin of a ditch or brook, where it 

 probably watches for amphibious glires or shrews. 

 When disturbed, it flies off with a buoyant unsteady 

 flight, shoots along in various directions, now high, now 

 low, inclining its body alternately to either side, very 

 much in the manner of some gulls, Larus canus for ex- 

 ample. It seems to prey by day, and may be seen glid- 

 ing over the meadows or moors somewhat in the man- 

 ner of the hen-harrier. 



On the 25th December 1835, having gone out to 

 procure some birds of which I was in need, I fell in 

 with an owl of this species about a mile from Edin- 

 burgh. It had been standing by the side of a ditch, 

 and on my approach flew oft', when I sent a shot after 

 it, apparently with no eft'ect, possibly because the mis- 

 siles were of the smallest kind. It alighted at the dis- 

 tance of about two hundred yards, by the edge of a 



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