THE TAWNY OWL 33 



pale and streaked with dark brown. The disk about the 

 face is greyish, having a dark brown border; the legs 

 are feathered to the claws. The length of the bird 

 is about 16 inches. The female is larger than the male 

 and its plumage is a more rufous brown ; but there are 

 two varieties in this species, a red and a grey, the colour 

 being independent of sex; the rufous form is more 

 common in Great Britain. After the first greyish down 

 of the nestlings they put on a more reddish brown than 

 the adult birds have. 



D 



