72 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



but with large white spots on outer webs and smaller ones or none 

 on inner webs ; lesser coverts same with white spots only on some 

 of the outer feathers. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult beginning sometimes in June and sometimes not complete 

 until November but very few birds in moult have been available 

 for examination. Summer. — Apparently no moult, and plumage 

 very little altered by abrasion. 



Nestling. — Down buffish -white on upper -parts and white on 

 under-parts. Short, soft, covering bird sparsely. 



Juvenile. — Feathers loosely constructed but not quite so 

 downy as in many other juvenile Owls, especially on upper- 

 parts, while greater wing-coverts are of almost normal structure. 

 Whole upper -parts of a more reddish chocolate -brown than in 

 adult, with only a few small white streaks on fore-part of crown, 

 rest of crown, nape, mantle, back and rump without white but 

 usually some concealed white centres to feathers at back and sides 

 of neck ; scapulars, with white subterminal spots or patches and 

 upper tail -coverts with concealed white spots ; facial disk, posterior 

 part dark chocolate -brown with a few whitish marks, anterior part 

 mostly whitish with blackish -chocolate tips ; chin, throat and breast 

 reddish -chocolate, feathers with dull white centres mostly concealed ; 

 flanks and belly dull white, feathers with wide reddish -chocolate 

 tips and varying amount of reddish -chocolate on central portions ; 

 tarsus and toes buffish -white with rather faint chocolate marks ; 

 under tail -coverts buffish -white usually with chocolate bars at 

 tips ; primaries, secondaries, tail, and primary -coverts and greater 

 coverts as adult ; median coverts with only a few white spots ; 

 lesser coverts without white. 



First winter. — Like adults. No examples in moult have been 

 available for examination, but apparently all the feathers are moulted 

 except wing- and tail-feathers and primary -co verts. 



Measurements and structure. — <J wing 160-170 mm., tail 95- 

 106, tarsus 20-23, bill from base of feathers 18-21 (12 measured). 

 $ wing 165-180. Primaries : 3rd and 4th longest (4th often 

 1-2 mm. shorter), 1st 30-37 mm. shorter, 2nd 6-10 shorter, 5th 

 5-10 shorter ; 2nd and 3rd primaries emarginated outer webs ; 

 outer edge of 1st primary and of emarginated portions of 2nd 

 and 3rd with considerably longer serrations than in Little Owl. 

 Outer secondaries about as long as 10th primary, rest becoming 

 longer and longest about equal to 7th primary, tips rounded. 

 Tail slightly rounded, 12 feathers, tips rounded. Under tail- 

 coverts about three-fourths as long as tail. Tarsus and toes 

 thickly covered with feathers. Rest of structure as Little Owl. 

 Soft parts. — Bill yellow ; claws brown -black ; iris yellow. 



Characters and allied forms. — M. f. sibiricus (Ussuri, south 

 parts of middle and east Siberia) is of a slightly paler shade of 

 chocolate-brown ; M. f. magnus (Kamtschatka, Kolyma) is larger 



