1914 



THE OWLS 



Mottled Wood 

 Owl 



feathered toes, characterized by the under surface of the body being 

 marked with regular crossbars without any dark longitudinal streaks. 

 This particular species has a blackish beak, the dark bars on the 

 breast very narrow, and the upper surface uniform brown with spots or bars of 

 white. Mr. Hume says that this owl is most commonly met with in moderately dry 

 country, well furnished with large groves. It usually lays two eggs in a cavity or 

 fork of some large tree, at a height of from eight to twenty -five feet from the 



SHORT-EARED OWI,. 

 (One-third natural size.) 



ground, without attempt to form a nest. Certain other species of the genus, such 

 as 5*. leptogrammicum of Borneo and several South-American forms, while agreeing 

 with all the preceding in having the plumage of the crown of the head either mot- 

 tled or barred, differ in their more or less completely naked toes. In the second 

 main group of the genus, comprising five species of which the Indian brown wood 

 owl (S. indiani) will serve as an example, the crown of the head is, on the contrary, 



