EAGLE OWLS 1929 



The common scops owl Scops giu}, which is represented on the left side of the 

 figure on p. 1916, is one of the smallest European members of the family, and is 

 occasionally met with in England. It ranges over southern continental Europe in 

 summer, and in winter reaches North Africa; while eastward it extends to Persia 

 and Turkestan, being replaced by allied varieties or species in Japan, India, Malay- 

 sia, and South Africa. In length this little owl does not exceed eight inches, and 

 it belongs to a group characterized by the dusky hue of the beak, the grayish-brown 

 color of the face disc, the slender and feathered metatarsus, and the general gray or 

 brown hue of the plumage, of which the upper surface is vermiculated, while on 

 both wings the middle lines of the feathers are distinctly streaked with black. 

 Although generally nocturnal, the scops owl has been observed in Spain in the full 

 summer sun. Its flight is very like that of the little owl, and its food consists 

 almost wholly of insects. In May the female lays from five to six eggs in the hol- 

 low of some tree, and the bird sits so close that it may often be taken by the hand. 

 " This owl," as Professor Newton observes, " is remarkable for the constancy and 

 regularity with which it utters its plaintive and monotonous cry, sounding like kew, 

 kew, and pronounced at intervals of about two seconds throughout the livelong 

 night." 



Among the American species we may mention the flammulated screech owl (S. 

 flammeolus), ranging from the Southern United States to Guatemala, which is of 

 small size, with the metatarsus feathered for more than half its length, and the toes 

 bare; the common North- American screech owl (S. ast'o), which has a very extensive 

 range and numerous varieties, and is distinguished by its feathered toes, and, lastly, 

 the crested screech owl (S. cristatus}, of Amazonia, which attains a length of fully 

 sixteen inches. The common screech owl is an abundant bird exhibiting a gray and 

 a red phase of plumage, and is not migratory. Although living for the greater part 

 of the year in forests, when the ground is mantled in snow this owl seeks the pro- 

 tection afforded by buildings, and is then more frequently seen. It is considered 

 a true friend to the farmer, as it lives almost exclusively on mice and other small 

 rodents and the larger insects. Hollow apple and oak trees are its favorite nesting 

 resorts; the eggs, usually five or six in number, being laid on the bare wood. 



The great horned owls, or eagle owls, include the largest and most 

 powerful representatives of the entire order, but few of the species fall- 

 ing short of twenty inches in length. Allied to the screech owls, they may be dis- 

 tinguished by their relatively-shorter wings, which never reach within a considerable 

 distance of the end of the tail; while the great size of the ear tufts and the beauti- 

 fully barred plumage aids in recognizing these magnificent birds. Although the 

 toes may be sometimes bare or but sparsely feathered, the metatarsus is always 

 plumed throughout. The beak is short and strong, with a compressed tip, and the 

 large nostrils are either oval or rounded. Of eagle owls there are nearly a score of 

 species, ranging over the greater part of the Old and New Worlds, although unrep- 

 resented in Australasia. As being the only species found in Western Europe, the 

 best known of all is the great eagle owl {Bubo ignavus), of which specimens are 

 occasionally taken in Britain. This splendid bird, of which the total length may 

 reach twenty-eight inches, belongs to a group of two or three species characterized 



