300 SCOPS-EAKfcD OWL. 



breed in " Castle Edendene," near Stockton- on- 

 Tees.* 



Its habits from observation we cannot detail ; 

 from all accounts it seems most abundant, and has 

 been most observed in Italy. Spalanzani is among 

 the first who detailed its habits, and gives its 

 favourite residence as lower wooded regions. Mr 

 'W. Spence, who has noticed it more lately, and in 

 a notice in London's Magazine, observes that one 

 established itself in the garden belonging to his 

 house at Florence, where it constantly uttered its 

 cry from night -fall to mid -night, at intervals be- 

 tween each other as regular as the ticking of a 

 pendulum.t 



It is impossible to convey by words an idea 

 of the beautiful penciling on the plumage of this 

 little species. It is a delicate blending of smoke 

 gray, chestnut, and yellowish brown, streaked, 

 barred, and speckled with black. On the upper 

 parts the dark markings run along the shaft diva- 

 ricating into ragged bars ; on the breast and belly 

 they are broad streaks along the shafts, the feathers 

 otherwise mottled with zigzag bars of the same 

 colour ; the egrets are composed of several feathers 

 with dark centres ; the ruff is yellowish white at 

 the base, becoming ochraceous and tipped with 

 black ; the disk surrounding the eyes, and com- 



* Yarreirs Br. Birds. 



f LoudoiVs Mag. of Nat, Hist. v. p. 654. 



