4IO 



CORACIIFORMES 



chiefly on the ground, where they are quite at ease. A croaking 

 sound is made while courting, but the ordinary cry is long and 

 shrill ; l;)oth parents, moreover, fly chattering over an intruder at 



Fig. 86. — Burrowing Owl. Speotyto cuninilarid. x -^. {Yvoxn Nature.) 



the breeding colonies, while individuals often sit bowing or 

 twisting their heads about on the roofs of houses. 



Carine noctua, the Little Owl of British authors, is greyish- 

 brown above with white markings, and white with brown streaks 

 below. The facial discs are imperfect ; the toes are bristly — or 



