OWL. 13$ 



folio t. B. 1. or Brown Owl of Pennant, N° 69: however, I be- 

 lieve he really means the Aluco of Aldrovandus ; if fo, the de- 

 fcription runs thus, according to M. de Buffon : 



The head is large : the eyes furrounded with greyifh feathers : Description* 

 iris blackifh, or rather of a deep brown or hazel : bill yellowifh- 

 white or greenifh: body above of a deep iron-grey, marked with 

 both black and whitifh fpots : beneath white, with both tranf- 

 verfe and longitudinal black marks : tail above fix inches 

 long : the wings reach a little beyond it : extent of the wings 

 three feet : legs covered to the toes with white feathers, marked 

 with fmall black fpots : the firft quill-feather is two or 

 three inches fhorter than the fecond j the fecond fhorter by one 

 inch than the third ; and the longeft of all are the fourth and 

 fifth : whereas in the White Owl, the fecond and third are the 

 longeft, and the firft fhorter than thefe by only one inch* 

 Length of the bird fifteen inches. 



To this Brijfon adds, that the tail is barred with rufo-cinereous 

 and black. 



This Owl keeps, during the fummer-time, wholly in woods, Manners* 

 in hollow trees. In winter it fbmetimes approaches habitations. 

 It lives on field and other mice, which it fwallows whole. When 

 thefe fail, it has recourfe to barns, where it catches both rats and 

 mice j returning to the woods to pafs the day, perched on fome- 

 decayed branch in the thickeft recefTes ; during which it refts 

 without changing place. It is faid to lay four eggs, about the 

 fize of thofe of a Hen, and of a dirty grey colour ; and, like die 

 Greater Horn-owl, makes ufe of the old nefts of the Buzzard, 

 Keftril, Crow, or Magpie, for this purpofe. This is an Euro- 

 pean bird, but is not, as far as I can learn, an inhabitant of 



England. 



Strix 



