4 oo NORTHERN EUROPE 



cipitrinus) might perhaps be called central European, but is more frequent in 

 the north. This bird lives on moors and in marshy lands, hunting by day as 

 wel] as by night, sheltering among shrubs and plants, and only perching on trees 

 when in fear of danger. In Germany it is principally seen during migration in March 

 and in September or October, when it journeys in smaller or larger parties at the 

 same time as the woodcock. Although occasionally breeding in Germany, England, 

 and Scotland, especially in districts where mice are plentiful, its principal nesting- 

 area is within the Arctic Circle in both hemispheres. This owl is spread, however, 

 over a much wider area, being unknown only in Australia, Polynesia, and western 

 Africa. The nest is generally placed among grass, reeds, or heather, and always 

 on the ground. The prey of this species consists of small rodents, especially 

 lemmings, and also of the larger insects, and occasionally birds. Pursuing its 

 victims with the same noiseless flight as its southern relatives, this owl hovers a 

 few seconds before striking, and when startled rises high in the air. When flying 

 in high latitudes under the midnight sun it looks almost like a kite, which also 

 seeks its prey at a considerable height above the ground. Not unfrequently it is 

 mistaken for the long-eared owl, although its ear-tufts consist only of two or four 

 feathers not exceeding half an inch in length. The beak and eye-discs are blackish 

 brown, the chin is white, and the iris of the eye yellow. On the upper-parts the 

 colour is a rich buff with dark brown patches and streaks; the throat and breast 

 being striped with brown. 



In addition to the above, we have two kinds of wood-owl, namely, the tawny 

 owl, which also ranges over a large area in Asia, and the Ural owl (Syrnium 

 uralense), which although rare in northern Scandinavia and Russia ranges east- 

 wards right across Asia. This species breeds in jjairs in the St. Petersburg 

 district and East Prussia, and less commonly in the Bohemian Forest, the 

 pathians, and the Austrian Alps. The nest is built in hollow trees or among 

 rucks, and also in the abandoned nurseries of the buzzard. The bird flies in the 

 open only at twilight, but may be on the wing in the forest during the day. This 

 audacious bird will attack man should he dare to climb its nesting tree ; and will 

 defend itself against buzzards and herons. Its prey is hares, rabbits, and forest 

 birds, as well as the smaller mammals, especially mice, and it will even eat beetles. 

 The female sits all day long on her white eggs, which number from two to four, 

 till in the evening she greets her returning partner with a scream of joy, when she 

 flies uli' in search of food, returning from time to time to see that the nest is safe. 

 The Ural owl, measuring from 20 to 24 inches long, may be distinguished from the 

 tawny owl, which it greatly resembles, by its lighter colouring, greyish face, black 

 claws, and dark brown eyes. Other northern species are the great snowy owl, the 

 Lapp owl, and the hawk-owl, the last of which ranges as far north as the growth 

 of trees, but visits the Bavarian Alps and probably other German mountains, and 

 as a breeding-bird is found in the Carpathians and East Prussia. Tengmalm's owl 

 and the pigmy owl are also met with in the northern parts of Europe. 



Of the diurnal birds-of-pi-ey, the kestrel ranges up to the Arctic Circle and 

 even farther north, in company with its relative the merlin, which inhabits 

 northern Europe but is more frequent in Siberia. Of the habitat of the hobby, 

 the northern limit is the latitude of central Sweden ; while that of the peregrine 



