THE LITTLE OWL 
Carine meridionalis 
Plumage—A plain greyish-brown with dark markings 
and spots on the breast; eyes yellow. Entire length, 8°5 
inches. 
Tue Little ; Owl is a common bird, but it is 
not, when flying, very owl-like in appearance ; and 
doubtless it is very often seen and not recognised 
as an owl at all, especially as it flies freely in the 
daytime, and I have even seen it sitting facing 
the sun on some wooden trellis-work in a garden 
at mid-day ; and not only once, but morning after 
morning it could be seen enjoying the warmth. 
This peculiarity, the very opposite of what we 
find in most owls, has led to an awkward 
position in some parts of England—for in certain 
of the Midland counties this owl is rapidly be- 
coming a perfect scourge. Some distinguished 
naturalists in Northamptonshire and other counties 
thought it would be good to introduce this 
undoubtedly rather fascinating bird from the 
Continent—where it is common—into the British 
Isles—where it was very rare—so year after year 
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