LITTLE OWL. 161 



Spain and the Morea, and, according to Mr. Strickland, is 

 common in the Levant. 



The beak is yellowish white ; the irides very pale straw 

 colour : feathers of the facial disk greyish white, passing 

 into brown on, the outer side of each eye ; chin, and sides 

 of the neck, below the ears, nearly white ; top of the head 

 and neck clove brown, with numerous spots of greyish 

 white ; the back and wings clove brown, with roundish 

 white spots arranged in several lines on the scapulas and 

 wing-coverts, and varied with other white spots which are 

 less distinct, each brown feather having a white spot, which 

 is partly concealed by the brown end of the feather over 

 it ; wing-primaries umber brown, barred with yellow brown 

 or wood brown : the first quill -feather short ; the second 

 and fifth longer, and equal in length ; the third and fourth 

 the longest, and also equal : upper surface of tail-feathers 

 clove brown, barred with pale wood brown ; upper part 

 of the breast with an indistinct brown and white transverse 

 band, below greyish white with longitudinal spots of clove 

 brown ; under tail-coverts white ; under surface of tail- 

 feathers dull greyish brown, barred with yellow brown : 

 legs very long, covered with close short white hair-like 

 feathers, from which circumstance this species has re^ 

 ceived the name of nudipes from M. Nilsson ; the toes are 

 very slightly covered ; the claws sharp and black. 



The whole length of this bird is about eight inches and 

 a half. The females are rather larger than the males, and 

 the general colour of their plumage is paler. 



According to Beckstein, in the young birds before the 

 first moulting, " the head is of a soft reddish grey, clouded 

 with w r hite. The large round spots on the back become 

 gradually more marked ; and the reddish white of the 

 under part by degrees acquires long streaks of brown on 

 the breast and sides." 



VOL. 1. M 



