OWLS AND OWL-LIKE BIRDS. 171 



toes feathered white. There is a class of Tawny 

 Owls much grayer than that described above, but the 

 ruddier bird probably predominates. Resident. 



Eggs. — 3 — 4s, or more, rounded, plain white ; 

 1-8 X 1-5 inch (plate 128). 



Nest. — None, the eggs being placed in a hollow tree 

 or in old nests of Crows, Magpies, &c. 



Distribution. — England, Wales, south of Scotland ; 

 not Ireland. 



This is the brown Owl of the woods, whose hollow, 

 moaning ' Too-hoo-oo ! ' may be heard at evening in 

 most wooded districts of England, Wales, and the 

 south of Scotland. It has also a spirited, clearly 

 articulated ' Too-whit ! ' falling little short of the 

 distinctness of speech. Passing the daytime in the 

 hollow trunk of a tree, or sometimes perching huddled 

 against the trunk outside, it issues at evening, after 

 some preliminary calling, to flit and glide about the 

 woodside or in the open in search of mice, frogs, and 

 such small ground-life as stirs abroad in the quiet 

 dusk. It nests usually in a hollow of a tree, though 

 occasionally in ruins, outhouses, and even in the dis- 

 used nests of Magpies and Crows. 



LONG-EARED OWL— 14 inches. A buffy-Tjiwva Owl of 

 the pine and fir woods, with 2-inch tufts on the head, 

 erected like pointed ears. Notesj a cat-like mewing and 

 a sharp bark. Eyes yellow ; hill dark. 



BARN-OWL— 14 inches. The ' white ' Owl inhabiting barns, 

 outhouses, and church towers. Cries, a rasping screech 

 and a breathing snore. 



SHORT-EARED OWL— 15 inches. A ground-nester on fen 

 or moorland, hunting over the open land close to the 

 ground, like a Harrier, either by day or night ; smaller 

 head. Cries, a loud, laugh-like yell and a haying hoot. 

 W 



