96 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



patches in centre of feather and in one example absent altogether, 

 tips and outer webs of feathers mottled grey and brown to varying 

 extent ; primaries and secondaries, outer webs and edge of inner 

 webs along shaft pale golden-buff, rest of inner webs white, tips and 

 to varying extent outer webs, freckled grey and brown, on inner 

 webs adjoining shaft short brown bars, sometimes extending to 

 outer webs, usually much restricted and broken and sometimes 

 reduced to spots (absent altogether in one example) ; innermost 

 secondaries, primary-coverts, greater and median coverts as 

 scapulars ; lesser coverts with little grey mottling and white along 

 edge of wing. This plumage is acquired by complete moult July- 

 Nov. (occasionally later, one in Jan. finishing moult and one T. a, 

 guttata in February). Summer. — Apparently no moult and very 

 little change by abrasion. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. — Like adult male but 

 upper -parts with more mottling and central grey and brown streaks 

 wide ; under -parts often indistinguishable from male but usually 

 with rather larger and more numerous spots and often with more 

 buff on breast ; under wing -coverts covering outer primaries usually 

 with darker tips ; bars on tail and wings usually darker and more 

 marked but not invariably so. N.B. — Some examples with whole 

 under -parts j>ale buff, upper -parts more mottled, facial disk with 

 more rusty -red and " ruff " more buff may be pale examples of 

 T. a. guttata as the only such examples I have seen were taken in 

 winter. 



Nestling. 1st down, short and fairly plentiful on upper- 

 parts but with bare patches on sides of neck and sparse on belly, 

 front of tarsus and toes covered to claws, but back of tarsus bare, 

 white. 



2nd down very much longer, more plentiful, but lower half 

 of tarsus and toes sparsely covered with short tufts, pale buffish- 

 cream colour. N.B. — This second generation of creamy down 

 replaces the short white down which is seen clinging to the tips 

 of it when the nestling is 10-14 days old. It is a true down and 

 appears to substitute the downy feathers of the juvenile plumage 

 of other Owls. 



First winter and summer. — • Like adults. This plumage 

 immediately succeeds the 2nd down which is pushed out by the 

 growing feathers and clings for a short time to their tips (see fig. 2, 

 Plate 2). 



Measurements and structure. — rj wing 265-290 mm., tail 110-125, 

 tarsus 55-62, bill from base of feathers 23-29 (25 British measured). 

 $ wing 265-295. Primaries : 2nd longest, 1st often as long, 

 sometimes 1-6 mm. shorter, 3rd 3-8 shorter, 4th 20-28 shorter, 

 5th 35-50 shorter ; outer webs of primaries not emarginated, 

 outer edge of 1st primary only with fairly long serrations. Outer 

 secondaries shorter than 10th primary, rest becoming longer and 

 inner ones about as long as 7th primary, tips rounded. Tail square, 



