128 LEAST EUROPEAN SPARROW OWL. 



the American list by C. Bonaparte, and is not that I 

 am aware of described by any of the American authors. 

 It has doubtless been often confounded with the Strix 

 acadica of that continent. It is found in Lapland, in 

 the Carinthian Alps, in Switzerland, and rarely in the 

 north of Germany. It is included by Nilsson in the 

 Scandinavian Fauna, under the name of Sparfs uggla. 

 A Strix passerina is mentioned by Machado as occurring 

 in Andalusia, but whether it is the bird I am noticing 

 or not I cannot say. 



Mr. Wolley says that as far as he is aware no small 

 Owl, except Strix tengmalmi, occurs in Lapland. 

 Degland says however, "J* ai recti un sujet de la Suisse, 

 et deux autres (male et femellej de la Laponie, par 

 V entremise de M. Simdevall." — Eur. Orn., vol. i., page 

 137. 



According to Temminck, this little Owl feeds upon 

 mice, grasshoppers, beetles, and lepidopterous insects. 

 It builds in pine forests, or in the crevices of rocks, 

 and lays two white eggs. 



An adult male in the Museum of the University of 

 Edinburgh has the upper parts of the body of an ashy 

 brown, punctured on the head and nape with numerous 

 dull white spots. The feathers of the back, scapularies, 

 and upper tail coverts are marked Avith reddish white. 

 Inferior parts white, with longitudinal confluent brown 

 spots, streaked with reddish on the sides of the chest. 

 There is a white space forming a kind of incomplete 

 collar on the throat and sides of the chest. Wings 

 marked with spots and dots in whitish stripes; tail 

 brown, with four white transverse narrow bands; beak 

 lead-colour, tipped with yellow; tarsi and toes thickly 

 clothed with white feathers, dashed and spotted with red; 

 claws black. According to Degland the iris is yellow. 



