1 64 OJVLS. 



one of tlie young, whereupon one of the parents charges the clespoiler, who holds 



up his gun-stock, against which the bird dashes headlong. 



With the screech-owls, or scops-owls, we come to a genus of mostly 

 Screecli-Owls ... . . 



small species, distinguished from the preceding representatives of the 



group with uninflated ceres by the presence of distinct ear-tufts. In this character 



these owls agree with the large eagle-owls to be next mentioned, from which they 



are distinguished, in addition to their generally smaller size, by the wings being 



very long, and reaching nearly or quite to the tip of the tail. As a rule the toes 



are feathered, but in certain species the metatarsus is completely bare. There are 



between twenty and thirty species of these small-horned owls, which range over 



the greater part of both the Old and New Worlds, although only one of them 



occurs in Europe. In habits they are largely nocturnal, although they may at 



times be seen abroad in the daytime. Groves, gardens, and wooded districts are 



their favourite resorts ; their nests are made in trees, and the food of some of 



them is to a great extent composed of the larger insects. Dr. Sharpe remarks 



that the various species of screech-owls are more difficult to distinguish than are 



those of any other genus, although the Old World forms are very distinct from 



those of America. 



The common scops-owl {Scops giii), which is represented on the left side of the 

 figure on p. 152, is one of the smallest European members of the family, and is 

 occasionally met with in England. It ranges over southern continental Europe in 

 summer, and in winter reaches North Africa ; while eastwards it extends to 

 Persia and Turkestan, being replaced by allied varieties or species in Japan, India, 

 Malaysia, and South Africa. In length this little owl does not exceed 8 inches ; 

 and it belongs to a group characterised by the dusky hue of the beak, the greyish 

 brown colour of the face-disc, the slender and feathered metatarsus, and the general 

 grey or brown hue of the plumage, of which the upper surface is vermiculated, 

 while on both aspects the middle lines of the feathers are distinctly streaked with 

 black. Although generally nocturnal, the scops-owl has been observed in Spain 

 in the full sunnner sun. Its flight is very like that of the little owl, and its 

 food consists almost wholly of insects. In May the female lays from five to six 

 eggs in the hollow of some tree, and the bird sits so close that it may often be 

 taken by the hand. " This owl," as Professor Newton observes, " is remark- 

 able for the constancy and regularity with which it utters its plaintive and 

 monotonous cry, sounding like keiv, kew, and pronounced at intervals of about two 

 seconds throughout the livelong night." 



Among the American species we may mention the flannnulated screech-owl 

 {S. flammeoliis), ranging from the southern United States to Guatemala, which is 

 of small size, with the metatarsus feathered for more than half its length, and the 

 toes bare ; the common North American screech-owl (*S^. asio), which has a very 

 extensive range and numerous varieties, and is distinguished by its feathered toes ; 

 and, lastly, the crested screech-owl (S. cristatus) of Amazonia, which attains a 

 length of fully 16 inches. The common screech-owl is an abundant bird, exhibit- 

 mg a grey and a red phase of plumage, and is not migratory. Although living for 

 the greater part of the year in forests, when the ground is mantled in snow this 

 owl seeks the protection afforded by buildings, and is then more frequently seen. 



