142 LEAST EUROPEAN SPARROW OWL. 
of Vieillot, and the S. occipitalis of Temminck. 
This beautiful species is apparently but little larger than G. passer- 
inam when Le Vaillant's two drawings are compared. It is in fact, 
however, altogether, particularly in the head, a large formed bird. It 
is readily distinguished by this character alone when the skins are ex- 
amined together. In addition the white spots are shaded with black, 
so as to give them the appearance of pearls, and hence Le Vaillant's 
name, Chevechette perlata; the tarsi and toes are covered with down 
instead of feathers ; the primaries are barred with three bands of russet 
on a black ground, and the spots on the tail form seven white bands. 
In addition to the above I may mention Sumia passerinoides of 
Audubon — "The Little Columbian Owl" — which is about the size and 
has a good deal of colouring similar to that of passerina, but it is 
darker, and the white spots on the head and wing coverts are replaced 
by chesnut. Those on the tail feathers are like passerina, largest on 
the inner barb, but they form six white rather curved bands; the tarsi 
and toes are feathered as in passerina. It is a closely allied but per- 
fectly distinct species. I need not say anything about the other two 
South American Sparrow Owls, Athene nana and A.pumila, as they 
are not likely to be confounded with G. passerinum. 
G. passerinum is an inhabitant of North-eastern Europe. It is 
stated by Degland to occur in North America, but I believe this to be 
a mistake. It is excluded from the American list by C. Bonaparte, 
and is not, that I am aware of, described by any of the American 
authors. It has doubtless been often confounded with the Strix acadica 
of that continent. It is found in Lapland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, 
the Carinthian Alps, Switzerland, and rarely in the north of Germany. 
It is included by Nilsson in the Scandinavian Fauna, under the name 
of Sparfs uggla. 
Mr. Wolley says that as far as he is aware no small Owl, except 
Strix tengmalmi, occurs in Lapland. Degland says, however, "tPai 
regu un sujet de la Suisse, et deux autres (male et femelle) de la 
Laponie, par V entremise de 31. SundewoU." — Eur. Orn., vol. i., page 
137. It is, however, quite certain that this little Owl occurs in 
Lapland as well as Sweden. 
The following account is contained in a letter I received from the 
late Mr. Wheelwright, dated Gardsjo, March, 1868:- — "I have been 
in the forest lately, and found out more about this little Owl. It 
certainly breeds with us, and not sparingly, and I do hope to get 
you the nest this year. I have a live one now in a cage, and a most 
amusing pet it is. Although diurnal in its habits, it seems to sit very 
still until evening and very early morning. As far as I can make out 
