THE SPECIES. 83 



Asio. Plate xiii. STRIGIDM. 



162. oius^ 14 in. Long-eared Owl. Plumicorns nearly upright, 



and exceeding an inch. 



163. accipitfinus^ 15 in. Short-eared Owl. Plumicorns nearly upright, 



but not exceeding half an inch. 



The Long-eared Owl — Dimensions, Mf ; Eggs, Kp — is generally found in fir woods. It is 

 orange buff in colour, with a good many blackish bars and streaks. Its flight is buoyant and 

 silent, like that of all the Owls, but very undecided, and the bird is hardly ever seen out in broad 

 daylight. The note is a mew and a bark, not a hoot, and the bark is often given when on the 

 wing. The female is rather redder than the male, and she is a little larger. She never builds 

 her own nest, but adds a few sticks to a crow's or a wood-pigeon's, or something of the sort, 

 and lines the cavity with rabbits' fur. The eggs are from four to seven in number, and are 

 without any gloss. 



The Short-eared Owl — Dimensions, Mq : Eggs. Jp — is a. bird of very different habits. 

 It haunts the open moor, and comes abroad in the daytime. Its flight is soft and silent, but 

 not unlike the Gull's. Its numbers are increased by migrants in the winter, who come with 

 the^ Woodcock, and, from being about during the daytime, it is the most frequently 

 noticedOwl we have, though not, perhaps, the commonest. Its note is a scream. The 

 female is larger, but much the same as the male ; but the young are darker in plumage, and 

 very pale in the eye. ^ The nest is a hollow in the ground, among the reeds or heather, and 

 consists of a few sprigs or broken leaves ; lihe eggs are smooth, and vary from four to 

 seven in number. It may be worth noting that the ear opening on the right of this bird is 

 directed upwards, while that on the left is directed downwards. 



Athene. Plate xiii. STRIGJDM, 



170. noctua, 8 in. Little Owl. Greyish brown above ; whitish 



with brown streaks below ; tail barred with white ; 



toes covered with bristles instead of feathers. 



The Little Owl — Dimensions, Hd ; Eggs, Jb — is known to have been frequently imported 



and turned loose here, but has never been proved to come here of its own free will. Its first 



primary is eq^ual to its sixth, its second to its fifth, and its third is the longest, and, like most 



of the Owls, It perches with two toes in front and two behind. It is generally about in the 



daytime; its cry is " cuckoo, vah-ee " ; and its nest is a mere scratching of rubbish low down 



near the ground. 



Bartramia. Plate xxviii. SCOLOPA CID^, 



326. longicavda^ 12 in. Bartram's Sandpiper. Head and breast rufous 



with angular spots ; chin white ; lower breast white 



and spotted ; under-surface of wings barred black 



and white ; remiges 26 ; tail long and wedge-shaped. 



Bartram's Sandpiper — Dimensions, Kf; Eggs, Ln — is an American very occasionally met 



with on this side of the Atlantic. Its axillaries are white, barred with brown, and its tail 



feathers are barred with black. It has a habit of flying in large circles, and its call is a soft 



whistle. The female is always bigger tha.n the male. 



Bernicla. Plate xix, ANA TIDM, 



226. ruficollis, 22 in. Red-breasted Goose. Head black ; white patch 

 in front of eye. 



223. brenta, 23 in. Brent Goose. Head black ; white patch on each 



side of neck. 



224. Icucopsist 25 in. BARNACLE Goose. Head white ; crown and 



nape black ; black stripe from eye to bill. 



225. canadensis^ 41 in. Canada Goose. Head black ; white patch under 



chin. 



I'he Red-breasted Goose — Dimensions, Qf ; Eggs, Qx — has appeared on the east coast 

 about half a dozen times during the last hundred years. It is a handsome bird with chestnut 

 throat and breast. Its home is in Siberia, where it is known as the Shakvoy, from its call. 

 The female is much the same as the male, but rather smaller. 



The Brent Goose — Dimensions, Qi ; Eggs, Rb — is one of our regular winter visitors, but is 

 seldom found inland. It never dives. Its call has been variously rendered as "rot," 

 '* cronk," and " torock." It breeds within the Arctic Circle. 



The Barnacle Goose — Dimensions, Rh ; Eggs, Rl— is another winter visitor, much rarei 

 on the east coast than on the west. Like the Brent, it breeds somewhere in the far north. 



