86 CASSELL'S book of birds. 



short and very sharp claws ; the eyes and apertures of the ears are large. The plumage, which 

 is rich, soft, and glossy, is much thicker than that of the majority of Night Owls ; the feathers 

 on the sides of the head are held erect, and thus make the face appear fully to equal the body 

 in breadth. The outer web of the anterior quills is denticulated like a saw, while the inner one is of 

 velvety softness. The cry of this species resembles that of the Kestrel ; when angry it snaps with 

 the beak, after the manner of other Owls, but, unlike most of the members of the family, its eyes 

 are kept open in the day-time, and it rather seeks than avoids a strong light. The face of the 

 adult male is whitish grey, and marked with two black streaks, one before and one behind the ear, 

 forming a sort of crescent. The top of the head is brownish black, each of the feathers in that 

 region being tipped with a round white spot, which increases in size towards the back of the neck ; 

 the nape and a spot behind the ear are pure white ; the feathers upon the back are white, edged 

 and striped with brown. The breast, sides, and belly are white, marked with blackish brown ; 

 the throat is white, traversed by a dark stripe ; the quills and tail-feathers are mouse grey, and for 

 the most part streaked with white. The beak is dingy yellow, tipped -with black, and the eyes of a 

 beautiful brimstone yellow. Considerable deviations from this coloration are of frequent occurrence, 

 but the young closely resemble their parents. The length of this species is from fifteen to sixteen, 

 and its breadth from twenty-nine to thirty-one inches ; the wing measures nine and the tail seven 

 inches. 



The Sparrow-hawk Owls are met with extensively throughout all the countries of the extreme 

 north, and frequently visit the central portions of the American and European continents. Birch, 

 fir, and pine forests afford them the retreats - they prefer, and where these are found they will 

 often ascend to a considerable height in mountain ranges. Wallengen tells us that their eyries 

 are built upon fir and pine trees, and are formed of leaves and twigs, intermixed with dry moss ; and 

 that the six or seven round white eggs that constitute a brood are laid early in the spring. Some 

 naturalists are of opinion that they lay but two eggs. We learn from Richardson that large numbers 

 of these birds are killed by the fur hunters, and that they subsist principally upon insects and 

 mice ; they also devour Ptarmigans, and when in pursuit of the latter are so bold that, at the 

 sound of the sportsman's gun, they congregate around him in the hope of securing his birds as 

 they fall ; they catch mice by waiting quietly seated near their holes until they come out, and 

 never seize them whilst on the wing. They appear to have no fear of man, and are constantly 

 seen around the watch-fires made by the hunters in their encampments. Such Sparrow-hawk Owls 

 as visit Central Europe arrive about March, and depart early in the autumn ; here as elsewhere they 

 subsist principally upon mice, and frequent forests and woodland districts. The flight of this bird, 

 unlike that of most Owls, is rapid and easy, but upon the ground it hops somewhat clumsily. 



THE SNOW OWL. 

 The Snow Owl (Nyctea nived), as the largest of the diurnal species is called, frequents 

 the same countries as the bird above described, and, like it, wanders to Southern Europe ; 

 but the Polar regions are its actual home, and there it may be seen living, not only inland, but 

 on the coast, sitting in large numbers upon the icebergs, or scrambling with hasty steps over the 

 surface of the ice-covered sea. The distinguishing features of the Snow Owl are its small head, 

 well-developed ear, and thickly-plumed feet ; the wing, in which the third quill is the longest, is of 

 moderate size ; the tail long and rounded ; the beak powerful, and its hook short ; the plumage 

 thick, but not so soft as that of some of its congeners. The length of this species is from twenty- 

 six to twenty-seven, and its breadth from fifty-six to sixty inches ; the wing measures twenty-one, and 

 the tail ten inches. The coloration of the plumage varies considerably, according to the age of the 



