154 



plantations, preferring those which abound in firs 

 and holly or ivy bushes. In such situations it 

 remains concealed till nightfall, as it is very impa- 

 tient of the glare of day, and sees indeed imper- 

 fectly during the continuance of sunlight. It preys 

 upon rats, mice, moles, rabbits, and young leverets, 

 and is sometimes destructive to pigeons, entering 

 the dovecots, and committing great havoc. At 

 night it emits a loud and doleful cry, termed 

 hooting, and occasionally utters a harsh scream. 

 It breeds in the cavities of old trees, or will occupy 

 the deserted nest of a crow, and produces four or 

 five white eggs of a broad oval shape. 



OWL, TENGMALM'S. 



STEIX TENGMALMI, Temm. 



This is an occasional straggler in England, but 

 not a native. It is abundant in North America, 

 and not uncommon in the north of Europe, where it 

 nests in the hollows of trees, laying four or five 

 white eggs. The nest-boxes set up by the Lapps 

 and other inhabitants of the far north, for the 

 accommodation of the Golden-eyed Duck, which 

 regularly avails itself of these artificial nesting- 

 places, are invariably robbed of the eggs which they 

 contain, by the proprietor of the Tyllyr. This 

 Owl is strictly nocturnal in its habits, and is so 



