324 AVES—SUB-ORDER STRIGES. 



exceeds a Thrush in size. They are widely distributed in both the eastern 



and western hemispheres, but are absent in AustraHa and 



The Owlets. — the Austro-Malayan and Pacific Islands. They have a 



Genus Glauciciium. very rounded wing, and a swollen cere like the Little 



Owls (Garine) and the other members of the Buboninave 

 have just been considering. Their food consists mostly of insects, and the 

 flight of Glaucidhtm hrodiei of the Himalayas, which is the only species I have 

 seen alive, was very swift, and the bird appeared to be perfectly at home in 

 daylight. The European species is the Pigmy Owlet {Glaucidium pygmceum), 

 and in North America, where more than one form occurs, we learn that one 

 of the species, G. gnoma, an inhabitant of the Western States as far south as 

 the highlands of Mexico, is not only an insect-feeder, but also devours small 

 birds and rodents, as well as lizards. It is diurnal in its habits like the little 

 species which I saw in the Himalayas, and, like others of its kind, breeds in 

 old Woodpecker's holes. 



We have already alluded to the characters of the ear-conch and the 

 operculum which separate the members of the sub-family Syrniince from 



those of the Buhonince. Three genera are recognised in 

 The Eared- and the Syrniince, viz., the Horned-Owls (Asio), the Wood- 

 Wood-Owls — Sub- Owls {Syrniiim), and the Downy-Owls {Nyctcda). 

 family Si/rnimm. The Horned, or Eared, Owls, as they are generally 



called, are found nearly all over the world, and our Short- 

 eared Owl (Asia accipitrinus) is one of the most cosmopolitan of all birds, 

 nesting in the north and migrating south in winter. It is one of the most 



useful of all the Owls, and on the occasions when Voles 



The Horued-Owls. have proved such a plague to agriculturists, the Short- 



— Genus Asio. eared Owls have appeared in the stricken districts, and 



have devoured numbers of the mischievous rodents. It 

 also follows the hordes of lemmings and preys upon them. It is a day- 

 flying bird, and nests on the ground, often in small colonies. The Long- 

 eared Owl {Asio ohis), on the contrary, is a forest-loving bird, and comes out 

 chiefly in the gloaming and at night, when it catches large numbers of mice 

 and other small rodents. Several pairs are often found in the same neigh- 

 bourhood, and in America the species has been recorded as nesting in 

 company, the nest being generally the deserted one of a hawk or crow of 

 some sort, with a slight lining added. It very rarely nests, like so many of 

 the other Owls, in hollow trees. 



The Wood-Owls differ from the Horned-Owls in having no ear-tufts of 

 feathers on the head, and in having much less of a cere than the last-named 



birds. The typical species is the Wood-Owl or Tavfny- 

 The Wood-Owls, — Owl of Europe {Syrninni alueco), which is entirely a wood- 

 Genus SyrniinH. land bird, nesting in holes of trees, in which it also passes 



the greater part of the day. At night it is more lively, 

 and its hooting note is often heard throughout the night. Although generally 

 nesting in the hollow of a tree, this Owl has been known to annex a Wood- 

 Pigeon's nest or a squirrel's "drey," or the deserted nests of a Crow or 

 Magpie, while a rabbit's burrow has also been known to be occupied 

 by the Tawny-Owl. The eggs are three or four in number and are 

 white. 



Of the Downy-Owls (Nyctala), the best known species is Tengmalm's Owl 

 (N. tengmalmi), an inhabitant of Northern Europe and North America, and 

 in the latter country a second species, N. acadica, occurs. 



