the Birds of Cyprus. 311 



diate between Noctua noctua and Noctua glaux.'' I do not 

 recognize any specific difference between these two races, bnt 

 these Little Owls from Cyprus are more sandy-coloured 

 than average Spanish specimens. With regard to the Greek 

 myth concerning Owls, referred to by Guillemard in liis first 

 article, ' Ibis,' 1888, p. 108 : I had previously heard the 

 story at Corfu, and cannot help thinking that, for reasons 

 which I will give when treating of the next species on my 

 list, he has put the saddle on the wrong horse in attributing 

 the legend to the present bird. I have every reason to 

 believe that the Little Owl is resident in Cyprus. Guille- 

 mard obtained many eggs of this species. *. 



19. Scops Owl. Scops giu. 



Very common in summer, principally inhabiting the 

 neighbourhood of towns and villages, showing an evident 

 preference for olive-trees, willows, and fruit-trees. As 

 Pearse obtained specimens of this bird in November and 

 December, it would appear that it, in some instances at all 

 events, winters in Cyprus. Guillemard records the capture 

 of a Scops Owl whilst sitting on its eggs in a hole in the 

 roof of a house at Akanthu ; this is the only instance that has 

 hitherto come to my knowledge of this species nesting else- 

 where than in hollow trees. My reasons for assigning the 

 Greek legend, to which I have above referred, to this species 

 instead of to the Little Owl are, that the notes of the latter 

 bird could hardly be twisted into any resemblance to the 

 words " Tpi<i," '^T'a'pa" ; the same may perhaps be said of 

 the ordinary cry of the Scops Owl, which, however, is not 

 badly represented by the ^' poo, pooep '^ attributed to the 

 former species by Guillemard ; be the fact as it may, the 

 legend is referred by the Ionian Greeks to the present 

 species. May not this myth have some connection with the 

 utterance of Ophelia (' Hamlet,' Act. IV. sc. 5), '^ They say, 

 the owl was a baker's daughter " ? I was always convinced 

 that in this line Shakespeare was referring to some well- 

 known story, and not merely putting crazy words into the 

 mouth of his distraught heroine ; but it was only recently. 



