72 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



Family— STRIGID.^. 



Tengmalm's Owl. 



Nydala iengmal/ni, Gmel. 



THIS small and prettil}- mottled wood Owl is only a rare visitor to the 

 British Isles from the northern countries of Europe. Harting enumerates 

 twent}^ instances of its occurrence, but it seems to have been occasionall}^ con- 

 founded with the lyittle Owl, which southern species may have also been taken for 

 it, so that it is uncertain hoM' va&ny of the recorded appearances of Tengmalm's 

 Owl reall}' refer to that bird. An undoubted Tengmalm's Owl that was obtained 

 in Somerset was at first considered to be a Little Owl. Those that have been 

 met with in this country were captured chiefly during the spring, the majority of 

 them on the eastern coast, and in Scotland ; Tengmalm's Owl has not been yet 

 obtained in Ireland. It inhabits the mountain forests of northern Europe, and 

 the mountains of the south, such as the Pyrenees, the Alps, and the Carpathians; 

 the northern parts of Asia, and North America, as far north as Alaska and 

 Labrador, where it is of a darker plumage, coming as near to the British Isles 

 as Sweden and Norwaj'. It is strictly nocturnal, onlj' issuing forth at dusk to 

 hunt for its pre}' which consists of the usual Owl dietary, small birds, lemmings, 

 mice, and beetles. Wheelwright states that, next to the Hawk Owl, " it is the 

 commonest Owl in the forests of Lapland, but being much more nocturnal in its 

 habits was not so often seen ; not that the light appears niiicli to affect its vision, 

 for here the summer nights are as light as day, and we rarely went into the 

 forest on any night without seeing this pretty little Owl hawking after its prey. 

 It is a bold, voracious little bird. The call note was a very musical soft whistle, 

 which, however, I never heard except in the evening and night." Tengmalm's 

 Owl nests in April or the beginning of May in holes of trees, sometimes 

 occupying the deserted nest of the great Black Woodpecker ; sometimes one of 

 the boxes set up bj' the peasants for the Golden-ej-ed Duck to la}' in ; the eggs 

 var}' much in shape, " in the same nest you will see some eggs as round as 

 musket balls, others oval and elongated;" the usual size is about one and three- 

 eighths of an inch by one inch : the}' are pure white, and fine in grain, and 

 are generally four in number, rarel}' six or seven, although as many as ten have 

 been found. 



