182 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



OWL, TAWNY. Also WOOD OWL. 



Description of Parent Birds. Length about 

 fifteen inches. Beak short, much curved, and horn 

 white. Irides dark brown. The circle surrounding 

 each eye is greyish- white, margined by a line of 

 dark brown. Head, neck, back, and wings tawny- 

 brown, finely marked with dark brown and black, 

 and mixed with ash-grey. On the wing-coverts 

 and scapulars are two descending lines of large 

 white spots ; the primaries are also barred with 

 dark brown and dull white. Tail, two centre 

 feathers uniform tawny brown, rest barred with 

 tawny and dusky brown. Breast, belly, and under- 

 parts greyish- white, streaked and mottled with two 

 shades of brown. Under-coverts of tail white. Legs 

 and toes covered with greyish-white feathers ; claws 

 large, much hooked, and horn white, with black tips. 



The adult female is similar in plumage, but 

 somewhat larger in size. 



Situation and Locality. The favourite nesting 

 site is in a hole of a hollow tree, although the 

 bird sometimes uses clefts of rock, holes in the 

 walls of stables and barns, deserted nests of Books, 

 Magpies, Crows, and Hawks ; also rabbit-burrows. 

 This Owl is a lover of woods, forests, and parks, 

 and is pretty generally scattered over England, 

 Wales, and the South of Scotland ; rarer in the 

 north, and almost absent from Ireland. I have 

 met with it most numerously in Cumberland. 



Materials. None, the eggs being laid on decayed 

 wood or the bird's own " castings." 



Eggs. Three to four. Pure white, smooth, and 

 round. Size about 1*8 by 1'52 in. Distinguishing 

 features, the round shape and large size. 



