370 cwL. 



versely barred with rufous on each side of the shaft, the tip white ; 

 in some the tail is barred with white likewise ; legs covered with 

 nifous grey down ; toes and claws brown. 



This bird inhabits France, but is rare there in comparison to 

 others of the genus, and frequents ruined edifices in preference to 

 woods, where it is rarely found ; it makes the nest in the holes of 

 rocks, old walls, &c.* in the most retired places, laying five eggs, 

 spotted with white, and a yellowish colour ; it sees very well in the 

 day time, when it gives chace on the wing to swallows, and other 

 small birds, though seldom is able to take them ; it has better success 

 with rats and mice, yet cannot swallow any of them whole, as the 

 other Owls do; but, tearing them into morsels, eats the flesh only; 

 it has now and then been met with in England, but this has not hap- 

 pened more than four or five times to our knowledge, f 



Mr. White informed me, that it inhabits the cragged parts of 

 Gibraltar Rock, and the ruins of the Moorish Castle in abundance, 

 feeding on mice, leverets, and coleoptera, also flesh of any kind ; 

 but if brought up tame, and food given it, it moved in some dark 

 corner to eat it ; it was not there observed to catch birds ; said to be 

 common in Russia, but not met with in Siberia. 



It inhabits India, as appears from some drawings brought from 

 thence; but the ground-colour in these was a clay brown, much 

 paler than the European one ; the white spots much the same ; and 

 the tail crossed with three or four whitish bars. We suspect this to 

 be the one known at Hindustan by the name of Lacshme Pecha, 

 which builds in trees ; is noisy at night, but less so than others ; it 

 lives on moths and other insects ; observed to vary in size ; that of 

 Hudson's Bay is 85 in. long, 20 broad, and weighs 4^ ozs. ; it lives 



* Scopoll says, it builds in chimnies in Carniola — perhaps it was the attempt to do this 

 that caused two of them to come down two different chimnies in England, where they were 

 taken, as mentioned by Edwards— See his Birds, Vol. v. p. 228. 



t Shot in 1808 in the North of Devon, by Mr. Comyns — Orn. Diet. Sup. 



