Owlets 535 



to the ground, and flies off rapidly over the tops of the bushes or high grass, 

 abruptly rising again as it seeks another perch. Its note is a shrill cry, which 

 is uttered generally while the bird is on the wing." 



This species begins nesting at an early date, even in the far North often having 

 eggs early in April. The nest is variously placed, being sometimes a hollow 

 in a coniferous tree, at other times a repaired nest of some large bird, and rarely 

 it appears to be located on the face of some large cliff. When the eggs are placed 

 in a cavity, no nesting material is used other than the chips and powdered wood 

 ordinarily present, but when in a nest outside, it is carefully renovated and usu- 

 ally lined with moss and feathers. The eggs number from three to seven, and 

 are incubated by both parents in turn, and if threatened by marauders, are 

 defended with vigor. This bird subsists almost entirely on small mammals, as 

 lemmings and mice, varied occasionally with Ptarmigan and other birds. 



Owlets. Perhaps most closely allied to the last are the members of the 

 genus Athene, a group of six Old World species known as Owlets. As the com- 

 mon name implies, they are birds of small size, all more or less spotted, never 

 barred, with white on the upper surface. The cere is swollen, and the small 

 round orifice of the nostril opens near its front margin. The facial disk is 

 scarcely recognizable, while the tail is of moderate length and the wings rounded, 

 with the third quill generally longest; the tarsus and toes are feathered. The 

 Little Owl, or Owlet (A. noctua), is a pretty little bird some eleven and a half 

 inches in length, found in central and southern Europe. The upper parts are 

 brown, mottled and spotted with white, while the lower parts are mostly white, 

 streaked and mottled with brown on the breast. Its habits are much like those 

 of our common Screech Owl, since it frequents gardens, orchards, and old build- 

 ings, especially about villages and farm-yards. Although chiefly nocturnal, it 

 is also often seen abroad during the daytime seeking its prey, which consists 

 of mice, small birds, and insects. " It makes no regular nest, but places its 

 eggs in a hole in an old wall or rock, or in buildings, in a hollow tree, or in a hole 

 in the ground." The eggs usually number from three to five and are generally 

 laid in May. A paler, lighter-colored race (A. glaux) inhabits the deserts of 

 southern Europe and northern Africa, whence it ranges through Asia Minor, 

 Palestine, and Persia, while another form, known as Hunter's Owlet (A. bactri- 

 ana), with more densely feathered toes, extends from Afghanistan through cen- 

 tral Asia and Tibet to northern China. Their habits, so far as known, resemble 

 those of the first species. In the Indian peninsula one of the best -known species 

 is the Spotted Owlet (^4. brama). It is smaller than the others, being only eight 

 inches long, a uniform brown or grayish above, with numerous white spots 

 arranged in pairs, while the tail is crossed by from four to six white bars, and 

 the under surface is mainly white, crossed in some parts by brown bars. Avoid- 

 ing the forests, it keeps mainly to the trees in cultivated tracts, especially gardens, 

 and, according to Mr. Blanford, is " commonly found roosting and breeding in 

 the roofs of houses." It feeds chiefly on large insects, but mice, lizards, and 

 small birds are also added to the bill of fare when occasion presents. " Its usual 

 call is a double note, but it keeps up a continual chatter at times, especially in 



