VI 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 the 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 with lac and brown in Lulo 
coromandus.! 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 Budo, 
Asio, Nyctea, Carine and Scops at least are eaten by the natives of 
various countries; superstition, however, usually prevents 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-Owls 
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 embodiments 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 noctua) has done so when liberated in Britain. 
Sub-fam. 1. Striginae—Stria flammea, 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 
1 Hume, ed. Oates, Nests and Lygs of Indian Birds, iii. 1890, p. 103. 
