148 STKIGID.E. 



May. The eggs are rather elongated and white, one inch 

 four lines in length, and eleven lines in breadth. The food 

 of this small Owl consists of mice and large insects. 



The beak is yellowish white ; the irides pale straw yellow ; 

 the top of the head, nape, back, and wings, chocolate brown, 

 with minute white spots on the top of the head, and larger 

 white patches on the back and wing-coverts ; some smaller 

 white spots on the lower or distal part of the outer web of 

 the wing-feathers are arranged so as to give the appearance of 

 bands ; tail-feathers clove brown, with soiled Avhite spots 

 forming interrupted bars ; tail-feathers extending nearly an 

 inch beyond the ends of the wings. Facial disk soiled white ; 

 round the eyes a dark ring forming a band, which is broadest 

 on the inner side ; the ends of the feathers extending over and 

 hiding the base and sides of the beak : neck, breast, and 

 belly, greyish white, indistinctly barred and spotted Avith 

 clove brown ; under tail-coverts dull white, without spots ; 

 under surface of tail-feathers greyish white, the light-coloured 

 spots of the upper surface appearing through ; tarsi and toes 

 thickly covered with downy feathers of soiled white, slightly 

 speckled with brown ; claws black, long, curved, and sharp. 

 The whole length of the bird is from eight and a half to nine 

 inches. 



It has been doubted whether the Little Owl of Bewick''s 

 British Birds should be considered as an example o^ passerina 

 or Tengmahni ; but that the figure there given is a faithful 

 representation of the specimen from Avhich it was taken, no one 

 who is acquainted with the accuracy of Bewick's delineations 

 will doubt. The long tarsi in this figure, covered with short 

 feathers, and the well defined character of the toes, have in- 

 duced me to quote it as passcrina. In Tetigmalmi the tarsi 

 and toes appear shorter, and their outlines less distinctly visi- 

 ble from the greater length and thickness of the soft feathery 

 covering. 



