160 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



toned whoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, tsohooo, 'whooo, the syllables 

 all on one note, and bearing some resemblance to a 

 bass-voiced dog barking in the distance. A much rarer 

 call," he says, "is a loud, piercing scream, one of the 

 most blood-curdling sounds I have ever heard in the 

 woods." At other times hisses and groans come from 

 the thi'oats of these birds — apparently a sort of con- 

 versation with them. 



The Snowy Owl is an Arctic species of both the 

 Old World and the New. In the winter it wanders as 

 far south as the United States. It is a large and 

 handsome form, differing considerably in colour in 

 individuals. Some are almost pure white over the 

 whole body, while others are thickly spotted with 

 black. The eyes are extremely large and light yellow 

 in colour, forming a striking contrast to the beautiful 

 white of the feathers around them. See Plate 5, Fig. 

 23. 



This bird sees with perfect ease in the daytime, and 

 is very shy, keeping well out of the range of a gun. 

 Its food consists of small mammals. Ptarmigan, 

 Grouse, and Ducks, and it is said also to catch fish. 



The Little Owl is an Old World form, about eight 

 inches in length. A native of the continent of Europe, 

 it has of late years been introduced into the British 

 Islands, where it now breeds well and is increasing in 

 numbers. See Plate 5, Fig. 22. 



The Coquimbo, or Burrowing Owl, is found only in 

 North America, and is the only species that lives and 

 breeds underground. It is about ten inches in length, 

 has no ear-tufts, and the feet are but slightly 

 feathered. The legs are longer in proportion than 



