82 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



The Long-eared Owl is about fifteen inches in length. 

 The bill is dull black ; the base and cere are hidden by the 

 feathers of the facial wreath. The irides are orange yellow ; 

 the radiating feathers of the facial disc are pale brown on 

 the outer side, with a half-circular boundary line of darker 

 brown; the inner side is varied with dusky brown, and 

 tipped with white. The tufts on the head are about one 

 inch and a half in length ; they are composed of seven or 

 eight feathers, narrow in proportion to their length, dark 

 brownish-black in the centre, and edged with pale brown ; 

 top of the head, brownish-black and pale brown; nape, 

 neck, and upper part of the back, light brown, streaked 

 with brownish-black ; back, wing-coverts, secondaries, and 

 tertials, a speckled mixture of pale brown, with darker 

 shades. The wings, when closed, reach a little beyond the 

 tail ; the upper portion of the tail is the same colour as 

 the wings. The breast and belly are a mixture of greyish- 

 white and pale brown streaked with umber brown ; thighs 

 and under tail-coverts, pale brown ; under part of the tail, 

 greyish-white, with narrow bars of dusky brown. The 

 legs and toes are covered with pale brown feathers, the 

 claws are long, much curved, very sharp, and black. 



The females do not differ much from the males in 

 plumage, but on the whole are perhaps a little more grey, 

 and are larger. 



The Long-eared Owl generally appropriates the nest of 

 some other bird ; some naturalists are of opinion that it 

 never entirely constructs a nest for itself; it has been 

 known to take possession of a squirrel's drey. The eggs 

 vary in number from three to five ; the surface is rather 

 rough, the shape oval, and the colour white ; they are about 

 one inch and three-quarters in length, and one inch and a 



