266 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



them, for it is always gratifying when we can add 

 any new facts, however trifling, to the knowledge 

 we already possess relative to the habits of the 

 feathered race. This female, and one of the young 

 birds, are admirably figured in Dr. Bree's beautiful 

 work on the birds of Europe, and he also quotes 

 the following remarks from my letter to him of 

 March, 1863, on the habits of this little owl : 

 " I have lately been in our forests, and found out 

 more about the habits of this little owl. It cer- 

 tainly breeds with us (in South Wermland), and I 

 do hope to get you the eggs this year." (This, 

 however, I failed to do, and strange to say, I 

 know of no egg collector whose cabinet possesses 

 authentic specimens of the egg of this little owl, 

 which is by no means scarce in the middle of 

 Sweden.) " I have a live one now in a cage, and a 

 most amusing pet it is. Although diurnal in its 

 habits, it seems always to sit very still, except in 

 the early morning and evening. As far as I can 

 make out, this is the earliest bird in our forest, 

 for the old poachers who go out before daybreak 

 to shoot the capercailzie on the perch in spring, 

 say that the first call note they hear in the forest 

 is that of this bird. They also say that as soon 

 as ever they hear this in the spring they reckon that 

 the season for the ' lek,' or play of the capercailzie 

 is not far distant. 



