76 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



it also captures aud eats mice, small birds, bats and frogs. In Italy, where the 

 people will eat almost anything with feathers, it is itself regarded as a dainty, 

 aud is often added to the bill of fare. It is much used by foreign bird-catchers 

 as a deco}^ ; tied to a perch and placed near the limed twigs small birds at once 

 recognize their enemy and flying to mob it are themselves taken. It is in 

 particular emploj'ed as a lure for Larks; falconers also make use of it to capture 

 Great Gre}' Shrikes, which are used by them in turn in taking Falcons. 



The Little Owl was sacred to Pallas Athene, and appears upon all the old 

 coins of Athens very clearly represented. 



The adult male is umber brown on the upper parts ; the head is irregularly 

 striped with white ; back of the neck, back, and scapulars irregularly mottled 

 with white ; rump similarly coloured, and slightly tinged with fulvous ; wing 

 coverts more distinctly marked with round white spots ; quills brownish, trans- 

 versely banded wdth yellowish-white, the outer edges of the feathers spotted more 

 or less distinctly with white ; tail reddish-brown, barred with yellowish- white ; 

 facial disk and ruff y&r^^ faintl}^ indicated of greyish-brown, the feathers tipped 

 with yellowish-white ; upper part of the breast white, forming a band across the 

 chest; rest of the underparts white, streaked and mottled with dark brown; tarsi 

 covered with yellowish-white hair-like feathers; toes with bristles; bill and irides 

 yellow ; feet 3^ellow ; claws black. Length eight inches. 



The female is slightly larger and paler than the male ; length nine inches. 



The young birds have the same general markings as the adults ; only more 

 slightly indicated, and the plumage is reddish. Nestlings are covered with 

 grej'ish down, and are blind until the seventh day. 



