tengmalm's owl. 73 



and has much more white on upper -parts, tail and wings, and less 

 brown on under -parts ; M. /. richardsoni (N. America) has darker 

 chocolate -brown upper-parts and more brown on under-parts ; M. 

 f. caucasicus (Caucasus) and M. f. jakutorum (Jakutsk) have also 

 been separated. More reddish -chocolate and purer white colour, 

 feathered toes, longer wing and tail, shorter tarsus, more deeply 

 serrated edge of 1st primary distinguish it from Little Owl. 



Breeding-habits. — Haunts coniferous forest in mountain ranges 

 of central Europe, but on low ground in the north. No nest, but 

 eggs laid in holes of trees, often old borings of Great Black Wood- 

 pecker, sometimes in nest-boxes. Eggs. — Usually 4 to 6, occa- 

 sionally 8 or even 10, white, fine grained. Average size of 107, 

 32.5x26.4. Max.: 36.5x27.5 and 32.5x28.5. Min.: 29x25 and 

 31.5x23.6 mm. Breeding-season. — Usually from mid-April to end 

 of May or in June in the high north. Possibly second brood some- 

 times reared in lemming years. No details of incubation. 



Food. — Chiefly small mammals and birds. Seen pursuing lemming, 

 and remains of shrews, mice (Mus musculus and M. sylvaticus), voles 

 (Arvicola glareolus, A. agrestis) and Eliomys quercinus in pellets ; 

 birds recorded include Thrushes (Turdus various sp. and Monticola 

 saxatilis), Finches and Tits. 



Distribution. — England. — Rare vagrant. Over twenty authentic 

 records chiefly in Yorks. (twelve), Northumberland, Durham, 

 Norfolk, and Suffolk, also one or two so far south as Kent (three) and 

 Somerset, Berks., Essex, Salop (one), Northants. (one), Lines, (one), 

 Lanes, (one), Cumberland (one). (In Oct. and Nov. 1901 it occurred 

 in Suffolk (two), Norfolk, Yorks. and Shetlands.) Scotland. — ■ 

 Seven. Cramond Is. (Forth) Dec. 1860. Peterhead (Aberdeen), 

 Feb. 1886. Near Blairgowrie (Perth) Feb. 1915. Shetlands, 

 March 1897, Nov. 1901, January 1908 and 1912. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — North Europe, mountain-forests of cen- 

 tral and east Europe, to Alps and Pyrenees, in east to Hungary, 

 Montenegro, Bulgaria and Rumania, but breeding not proved, 

 Siberia. In winter and autumn, vagrant. Replaced by allied 

 forms in north-east Siberia, Caucasus, and North America. 



Genus ATHENE Boie. 



Athene Boie, Isis 1822, i, p. 549 (Type by subsequent determination of 

 Boie 1826, Gray 1855, A. noctua). 



Small Owls with large eyes and no indication even of ear -tufts. 

 Ear rather small. Wings rounded, third and fourth primaries 

 longest, first between 5th and 8th. Tarsus well feathered, toes 

 with bristles or a scanty covering of feathers. Tail very slightly 

 rounded. Europe, North Africa to Sahara, greater part of con- 

 tinental Asia. Two or three species with a number of subspecies. 



