NESTING OF THE EAGLE OWL AT CROYDON. 7 



becomes more plentiful in North Europe, being 

 most common in Norway, Sweden, and parts of 

 Russia. In the first-named country it is found both 

 in the pine-forests and on the mountains, though 

 from my own observation I should imagine it does 

 not extend so far above the snow limit as the 

 snowy owl, which is almost entirely Alpine in its 

 habits. The eagle owl is a very powerful and 

 voracious bird, feeding principally (in Norway at 

 least) on mountain hares, ptarmigan, and black- 

 game. I have been also informed by the peasants 

 in several parts of Norway that the eagle owl will 

 occasionally carry off young lambs when the sheep 

 are driven up to the mountain pastures in the 

 spring, and from its great size and strength I 

 should consider it quite capable of doing so. The 

 capercaillie is said often to be attacked by the eagle 

 owl while roosting at night in the pine-woods, and 

 sometimes to escape by diving from its perch to the 

 ground among the tangled network of the lower 

 branches of the tree, whither the soft-plumaged owl 

 is unable to follow it. An allied species in 

 America (Bubo virginianus) attacks the wild turkey, 

 and is reported to be baffled by the same means. 

 In size the eagle owl measures rather more than 

 two feet in length, and nearly six feet in extent of 

 wing ; the male being, as is usually the case among 

 birds of prey, somewhat less than the female. The 



