LITTLE SCREECH OWL AND LITTLE OWL. 53 



admitted, and I am informed by Mr. H. E. Dresser, one of the 

 best authorities we have on the avifauna of Europe, that it has 

 not been reported from any part of the continent. 



The information relating to the occurrence in which we are 

 specially interested is, along with an etching of the bird, contained 

 in the late Dr. Hobson's communication to the Naturalist of 1855 

 (p. 169), from which I have abstracted the following: — 



The owl in question is in its grey plumage, and was shot by 

 Joseph Owen in the breeding season of 1852 in Hawksworth 

 Cover, the property of the Earl of Cardigan, half a mile above 

 Kirkstall Abbey, and within the borough of Leeds. At that period 

 there were a pair of owls, and so far as Owen could judge by 

 moonlight they appeared to be similar in size, color and flight. 

 He at once saw that these birds diff'ered materially from our 

 common Screech Owl, and was therefore extremely anxious to 

 secure them • and, having shot one, he went to their haunt night 

 after night to obtain the other, but this unfortunately he could 

 never accomplish. Owen, ignorant of the value of his treasure, 

 gave this owl, in the flesh, to a bird-stuffer in Leeds, called 

 Matthew Smith, who immediately put it up under the impression 

 that it was a " Scops-eared Owl," and, under the same error in 

 judgment, sold it to Dr. Hobson. 



CAEINE NOCTUA {Scopoli). 

 Little Owl. 



A rare and accidental visitant. 



Not only is the whole of the information relating to the 

 occurrence of this species exceedingly meagre, but unfortunately 

 it is of a vague nature, from the fact that in every instance the 

 records show an entire absence of details. 



The earliest reference to this as a Yorkshire bird is made 



