HAWK OWL. 141 



spring migrations to tlic northward. It builds its nest on a 

 tree of sticks, grass, and feathers, and lays two white eggs. 

 When the hunters are shooting Grouse, this bird is occasionally 

 attracted by the report of the gun, and is often bold enough, 

 on a bird being killed, to pounce down upon it, though it 

 may be unable from its size to carry it off. It is also known 

 to hover round the fires made by the natives at night." 



The following description is from a specimen killed in 

 Lapland, and presented to the Museum of the Zoological 

 Society by Captain Everett : — The beak is white ; the irides 

 straw yellow ; facial disk dull white, bounded on the sides by 

 a semilunar dark purplish brown patch extending from the 

 ears downwards ; the head, back of the neck, and upper part 

 of the shoulders, mottled with dusky black and dull white ; 

 back and wings dark umber "brown ; lower part of the back 

 barred with dull white ; tertials elongated, loose, and downy 

 in texture, covering great part of the wing, and barred alter- 

 nately with dusky brown and Avhite ; upper surface of tail- 

 feathers dusky brown, with six or seven narrow bars of dull 

 white, and a broader terminal band of the same colour. Chin 

 dusky ; throat dull white ; across the upper part of the breast 

 a broad band of dull white ; breast, belly, and under tail- 

 coverts, dull white, with numerous narrow transverse bars of 

 dusky brown ; under surface of tail-feathers barred alternately 

 with greyish brown and dull white ; the tail long ; tarsi and 

 toes covered with short feathers of greyish Avhite ; claws Avhite 

 at the base, tipped with bluish black. 



The whole length of«the bird is about seventeen inches. 



The female differs from the male in being somewhat larger 

 in size, and the plumage is lighter in colour. 



