ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF LAPLAND. 267 



" The note of this little owl is a whistle, one 

 long loud whe-e-e, like blowing into a key, then a 

 number of fine notes, quickly repeated, 6 ti-meet, 

 ti-meet, ti-meet, ti-meet/ not so loud. One night 

 early in March, I slept at the house of a game- 

 keeper, in a forest which we knew was frequented 

 by these little owls, and about 4 a.m. I heard the 

 first note. The bird was in a fir planting about 

 800 yards distant from our house, and yet, as 

 the morning was still, we could hear it very dis- 

 tinctly. I had often heard this note before in our 

 forests, but always took it for that of Tengmalm's 

 owl. I stole up quietly, and, to make quite sure, 

 shot a female of this little owl a with the ovary 

 rather forward. 



" I do not think that they breed in the south of 

 Sweden, and they are rare or accidental in Denmark. 

 They are bold and voracious for their size, and I 

 have, more than once, known them strike down a 

 titmouse in the forest. In fact, my little owl 

 made very short work with a wounded crossbill 

 which I put into its cage. Although, at present, 

 we appear to know little or nothing for certain of 

 the breeding habits of this owl, we may take it for 

 granted that it lays more than two eggs, as stated 

 by Temminck, for out^of the family we saw at 

 Quickiock I obtained four specimens, and I am 

 not certain but that one or more escaped. 55 



