76 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 
it also captures and 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, 
and is often added to the bill of fare. It is much used by foreign bird-catchers 
as a decoy; 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 employed as a lure for Larks; falconers also make use of it to capture 
Great.Grey 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 with 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 very faintly 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 yellow; 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 
greyish down, and are blind until the seventh day. 
