114 BRITISH BIRDS. 



GENUS LXXXI. SCOPS, Savigny (1809). 

 Head rather small, with fairly conspicuous ear-tufts ; 

 facial discs very incomplete ; openings of ears small. 

 Wings long. Tarsi covered with short feathers ; toes 

 bare. Size small. 



156. Seops seops (Linn.). SCOPS OWL. 

 Hab. Southern Europe, North Africa, and S.W. Asia. 

 A rare straggler in spring or autumn ; it has occurred ai 



long intervals in many parts of England, once or twice in 

 Wales, once in Scotland, and four or five times in Ireland. 



GENUS LXXXII. BUBO, Dumtril (1806). 



157. Bubo bubo (Linn.). EAGLE OWL. 

 Hab. Europe and N.W. Africa. 



Probably at one time breeding in the Orkneys which, 

 with the Shetlands, it still visits at considerable intervals ; 

 one or two have been taken on the east coast of Scotland 

 and in England, but none of them recently. 



GENUS LXXXIII. CARINE, Kaup (1829). 

 Head large, round, without ear-tufts ; openings of ears 

 moderate ; facial discs incomplete. Tarsus moderately 

 long, clothed with short downy feathers ; toes covered 

 sparingly with very short hairy feathers. 



158. Carine noetua (Scop.). LITTLE OWL. 



Hab. Southern half of Europe. 



Has been taken at intervals in nearly all parts of 

 England ; and has also bred in several counties, but it 

 is known that numbers have been liberated here and the 

 nests found can be attributed to these, as in its wild state 

 the bird is probably only a rare struggler to us. 



