STRIGIDAE 403 



no regular habit of allowing the subsequent eggs to be hatched 

 by the warmth of the oldest nestlings ; and the reader may be 

 reminded that in other groups, such as tlie Harriers and Divers, 

 a very similar inequality in the development of the eggs may be 

 observed. Exceptionally the white shell is said to be tinted with 

 blue or yellow, or to be even marked ^vith lilac and brown in BiOm 

 coromancUis} The shape is normally oval or nearly spherical, 

 but longer or even pointed specimens are not uncommon, while 

 the larger the size the less glossy is the texture. The male is 

 generally to be found near at hand if the nest is disturbed, and 

 undoubtedly assists in some cases in incubation, which lasts about 

 four weeks. The hen hisses when caught in a hole, and invari- 

 ably sits closely ; while both parents frequently remain near an 

 intruder, and " click " their beaks at him in exactly the same 

 manner as the pugnacious nestlings do. 



Owls are constantly mobbed by other birds, especially when 

 dazed by sunlight, the Little Owl being used as a lure on the 

 Continent. They migrate to a greater or less extent, the autumnal 

 visits of the Short-eared Owl being especially well-known in 

 Britain ; yet the Snowy Owl often remains in the far north in 

 winter. The flesh is not generally reckoned palatable, but Bvljo, 

 Asio, Kyctea, Carine and Scops at least are eaten by the natives of 

 various countries; superstition, however, usuallyprevents the murder 

 of an Owl, which is usually supposed to entail evil, though in a 

 few^ places good luck. In Andalucia the Scops- and Screech-Owds 

 are believed to be the devil's birds, and to drink the oil from the 

 lamps in saints' shrines ; the Malagasy consider the members of 

 the Family emliodiments of the spirits of the wicked ; and country 

 folks' belief in their connection with death and the churchyard 

 dates back at least to the time of Shakespeare, who makes one of his 

 characters call the owl's hoot or screech a " song of death." Many 

 species are well-adapted for aviaries, and breed freely ; and the 

 Little Owl (Carine nocttui') has done so when liberated in Britain. 



Sub-fam. 1. Strighiae. — Strix Jtammea, the nocturnal White, 

 Screech-, or Barn-Owl, is orange -buff above, with brown, grey 

 and white markings, but is white below and on the complete 

 facial discs. The dark grey phase has the white parts tinged 

 with orange and a few distinct blackish spots beneath. The 

 legs are entirely, and the toes partially, covered with bristly 

 ^ Hume, ed. Gates, Nests and E(j<js of Indian Birds, iii. 1S90, p. 103. 



