TENGMALMW’S OWL. 155 
thus challenged, the speedy death of the inquirer is au- 
gured; hence its Cree appellation of Death-bird.” Ac- 
cording to Mr. Hutchins, it builds a nest of grass half 
way up a pine-tree, and lays two eggs in the month of 
May. The eggs are rather elongated and white, one inch 
four lines in length, and eleven lines in breadth. The 
food of this small Owl consists of mice and large insects. 
The beak is yellowish white ; the irides pale straw yel- 
low; the top of the head, nape, back and wings, choco- 
late brown, with minute white spots on the top of the 
head, and larger white patches on the back and wing- 
coverts; some smaller white spots on the lower or distal 
part of the outer web of the wing-feathers are arranged 
so as to give the appearance of bands; tail-feathers clove 
brown, with soiled white spots forming interrupted bars ; 
tail-feathers extending nearly an inch beyond the ends of 
the wings. Facial disk soiled white; round the eyes a 
dark rmg forming a band, which is broadest on the inner 
side; the ends of the feathers extending over and hiding 
the base and sides of the beak: neck, breast, and belly, 
greyish white, indistinctly barred and spotted with clove 
brown; under tail-coverts dull white, without spots ; under 
surface of tail-feathers greyish white, the light-coloured 
spots of the upper surface appearing through; tarsi and 
toes thickly covered with downy feathers of soiled white, 
slightly speckled with brown; claws black, long, curved, 
and sharp. The whole length of the bird is from eight 
and a half to nine inches. 
