122 LAP OWL. 



The other nest was near Annasjoki, at the top of a 

 lowish Scotch fir. Some time previously in the same 

 year a bird had been shot at this spot, which was found 

 to be a female with eggs inside. The nest was not 

 observed until after the shot was fired. At the second 

 visit, on the 28th. of May, there were two eggs in the 

 nest, and again a bird was shot, which turned out to 

 be another female, with a fully-formed egg inside, through 

 which the bullet had passed. The skin is now in 

 England. The birds seemed on both occasions remark- 

 ably fearless. 



The eggs are smoother, and, as might be expected, 

 considerably smaller than those of the Eagle Owl. The 

 dimensions of the two in the last-mentioned nest are 

 2 in. by 1.6 in., and 2.1 in. by 1.65 in. 



At the Meeting of Scandinavian Naturalists in Chris- 

 tiana, last summer, before I heard of these two nests 

 having been found, I was able to announce that the 

 Lap Owl generally makes its nest on the top of a 

 stump. I had received several reliable accounts from 

 different woodsmen, but had never found a nest myself, 

 or been able to get the eggs, which indeed have, I 

 believe, hitherto been unknown to ornithologists. It 

 appears that three is the ordinary number of eggs." 



In his Catalogue of Eggs, sold by Mr. Stevens, in 

 1858, Mr. Wolley accounts for the proportionate small- 

 ness of the egg, by the fact that the size of the Lap 

 Owl is very much made up by an unusual quantity of 

 feathers, with which it is provided to protect it against 

 the extreme cold of the region in which it lives. He 

 also says the number of eggs is four. 



The male and female of the Lap Owl have the 

 upper parts grey, with brown and reddish spots or 

 streaks in zigzags, and others white on the scapularies. 



