THE LITTLE OWL. 75 



especially on head, rump, vent and lower flanks. Upper -parts and 

 wing -coverts much as adult but decidedly paler brown, pale portions 

 of feathers buffish and much less prominent than in adult especially 

 on crown and rump ; under -parts also like adult but brown con- 

 siderably paler and streaks narrow and white more buffish. 



First winter. — Like adult. The juvenile body-feathers and 

 greater, median and lesser wing-coverts are moulted Aug. -Nov., 

 but not wing- or tail-feathers or primary -co verts. 



Measurements and structure. — <$ wing 153-165 mm., tail 75-83, 

 tarsus 29-34, bill from base of feathers 18-21 (20 British measured). 

 2 wing 156-165 (18 British measured). Primaries: 3rd and 4th 

 longest, 1st 17-28 mm. shorter, 2nd 2-7 shorter (one equal to longest) 

 5th 2-7 shorter ; 2nd to 4th primaries emarginated outer webs and 

 5th less clearly ; outer edge of 1st primary and of emarginated 

 portions of 2nd to 5th with very short serrations. Outer second- 

 aries about as long as 10th primary, rest becoming longer and 

 longest about equal to 6th primary, tips rounded. Tail nearly 

 square, 12 feathers, tips rounded. Under tail -coverts about two- 

 thirds as long as tail. Tarsus covered with feathers and toes thinly 

 covered -with bristle-like feathers. Three toes directed forwards 

 and one backwards, claws long, strong and sharp. Bill short, 

 strong and much compressed, upper mandible curved and projecting 

 at tip, which is sharp ; lower mandible broader and shorter with 

 rounded tip. Nostrils covered by bristle-like feathers of disk. 



Soft parts. — Bill greenish -yellow ; claws dark horn-brown ; 

 iris lemon -yellow. 



Characters and allied forms. — A. n. noctua (middle Europe) is 

 of a more reddish (warmer) brown, not dark sepia, on upper -parts 

 and streaks on under -parts and white is not so clearly contrasted ; 

 A. n. vidalii (Spain) is intermediate in colour between A. n. noctua 

 and A. n. mira and white streaks on crown are narrower ; A. n. 

 indigena (Balkans, south Russia) is rather paler brown than A. n. 

 noctua and middle tail-feathers have only small pale spots instead of 

 bars and bars on rest of tail-feathers are broken \ A.n. glaux (Egypt, 

 northern north-west Africa) is paler and more rufous than last 

 and usually has bars on tail fairly well marked; A. n. saharce 

 (southern north-west Africa) is considerably paler, more rufous- 

 sandy, than last ; A. n. lilith (Palestine, Mesopotamia, south-west 

 Persia) is much like last but still paler and not so rufous ; A.n. 

 bactriana (Transcaspia, Turkestan, east Persia) is much like A. n. 

 glaux but rather paler and of a greyer tone of brown and bars on tail 

 are prominent and toes are thickly feathered ; A.n. plumipes (north 

 China) also has thickly feathered toes and prominent bars on tail but 

 is as dark as A. n. glaux ; A.n. sarda (Sardinia) and A. n. caucasica 

 (Caucasus, Caspian) have also been separated. Darker coloration, 

 thinly covered toes, longer tarsus, shorter wing and tail, short 

 serrations of 1st primary distinguish it from Tengmalm's Owl and 

 small size and absence of " tufts " from other British Owls. 



