84 BRITISH BIRDS. WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 
tightly drawn up against a tree-trunk, sometimes with one eye closed and the 
other slowly winking with an irresistibly comic effect. Though this Owl, in 
common with almost all others, prefers the shade of thick foliage for its diurnal 
retreat, yet it seems perfectly indifferent even to the full power of the summer 
sun of Andalucia, and flies with a quick and direct undulating flight from tree to 
tree when disturbed in the daytime. The old olive groves of Corfu are favourite 
haunts of this Owl, and in their hollow trunks the nest is often to be found, 
formed of a very few sticks and grasses, and containing from three to five eggs. 
In Spain, though the olive is extremely abundant, the Scops appears to prefer 
hollow elms, poplars, and willows; the cork-tree is also a favourite resort.” Lord 
Lilford adds that at Malta, at the time of the vernal migration, ‘‘these Owls 
are often served up for dinner at the regimental messes under various names, 
though not, so far as I know, the true one. My own experience is that the 
flesh is very good. In captivity these little birds become very tame, and are most 
amusing. One which I kept for a long time at Corfu preferred the Humming- 
bird moth, which abounded there, to any other food I could give him. I think that 
these Owls devour a greater weight of food for their size than any bird with 
which I am acquainted.” 
The eggs are round, smooth, without gloss, and are pure white; they are 
laid in May, almost exclusively in holes in trees, and measure from 1°22 to 1°17 
inches, by from 1°07 to r’o4 inches. 
The Scops-Owl may be stated to be an Eagle Owl in miniature. The 
plumage is full, and more compact on the upper parts than in any other British 
Owl. The facial disks and ruff are incomplete; the tarsi are of moderate length, 
covered with short compact feathers; toes bare: ear large, without an operculum; 
on the head are two tufts of short feathers; wings long; tail short, arched, and 
rounded. ‘The general colour of the plumage is greyish, varied with brown and 
brownish buff, the feathers on the crown with a black central streak; the tufts 
reddish brown, with white on the inner web; back grey, feathers slightly streaked 
with black, and vermiculated with brown; some bold white marks on the scapulars ; 
wings greyish brown, barred with tawny brown; tail brown, barred with rufous 
brown, and vermiculated with dark brown; facial disks grey, minutely spotted 
with brown; under parts greyish white, finely vermiculated and blotched with 
brown; beak black; irides yellow; claws black at tip but white at base. Length 
73 inches. There is no difference in the plumage of the sexes, but the female is 
slightly larger than the male. Young birds are more rufous than the adults. 
The Scops-Owl can always be easily distinguished from the Little Owl by its 
tufts, and by its pretty vermiculated plumage. 
