OWL. 119 



Strlx Scops, Lin. Syji. i. p. 132. N° 5. 15. 



Le petic Due, BriJ. em. i. p. 495. N° 5. t. 37. f. 1. ^ C o S ' 



Le Scops, ou petit Due, Buf oif. i. p. 353. t. 24. 



— PL enl. 436. 



Scops Aldrovandi, Raii Jyn. p. 25, N° 3. 

 Little Horn-owl, Will. orn. p. 101. t. 12. 



HTHIS elegant fpecies meafures in length feven inches and a Description. 



quarter. The bill is black : irides yellow: the whole of the 

 bird is variegated with grey, rufous, brown, and blackifh ; on 

 the upper parts the brown predominates, on the under parts the 

 grey : quills tranfverfely barred with rufous white : the ears con- 

 fift only of one feather each : legs covered to the toes with rufous 

 grey feathers, fpotted with brown : the toes and claws are like- 

 wife brown. 



M. de Buffon obferves, that the two fingle feathers which com- Observation. 

 pofe the ears are very fhort, and are with difficulty difcovered in the 

 dead bird, as well as not fufficiently apparent to diftinguifh this 

 from the Little Owl without ears, at a diftance. It differs much 

 in colour from age or fex ; — when young, it is wholly of a grey 

 colour j and among the older ones, fome are browner than 

 others : the colour of the iris likewife keeps pace with the above 

 circumftances, being of a pale yellow in the young birds, and 

 either of a deeper yellow, or hazel, in the old ones. 



Thefe birds are common in many parts of Europe, on the con- Place anb 

 tinent, but have not hitherto been obferved in England. In 

 France they arrive and depart much about the fame time with the 

 Swallow. At certain times they wage war with the Field Mice, 

 which have been known to multiply in fome years fo much, as 



S to 



Manners. 



