246 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



OUZEL, WATER. See DIPPER. 



OWL, BARN. Also SCREECH OWL. 



(Strix flammea?) 

 Order STRIGES ; Family STRIGID.E (OWLS). 



Description of Parent Birds. 

 Length about fourteen 

 inches. Beak short, much 

 curved at the point, and 

 pale grey. Irides black. 

 Discs round the eyes white, 

 with the exception of a little 

 patch close to the eyeball on 

 the inner side of each, which 

 is rufous. The feathers, espe- 

 cially on the lower outside of 

 each disc, are tipped with 



light rusty-brown of varying shades. Crown and nape 

 light buff, sprinkled with grey and spotted with dark 

 brown and dirty white. Back, wings, and rump 

 buff, with a lacework of grey, on which are more 

 or less perpendicular lines of spots of dull black and 

 dirty white ; upper surface of tail-quills greyish- 

 buff, crossed by fine darkish-grey bars ; upper breast 

 white, slightly tinged with buff ; lower breast, belly, 

 vent, and under tail -co verts white. Legs covered 

 with white downy feathers, toes with short hairs ; 

 claws brown. 



The female is distinguished by a few dark brown 

 spots on her sides and belly. 



Situation and Locality. In hollow trees, church 

 towers, barns, pigeon-cotes, crevices of rocks over- 

 shadowed by ivy, and old ruins ; pretty generally 



