that this bird lays its eggs in holes of trees, or in the 

 nest-boxes set up by the inhabitants of Lapland for the 

 accommodation of Goldeneye Ducks and other hole- 

 breeding water-fowl. The number of eggs varies from 

 four to seven. I received five of this species alive from 

 Helsingfors in the summer of 1888. I did not notice 

 that their habits differed from those of other Wood- 

 Owls in captivity, except that they were much less active 

 and savage than some Hawk- Owls received in the same 

 consignment. They were voracious feeders and great 

 bathers, and seemed to be in no way inconvenienced by 

 bright sunlight. The chief peculiarity of these birds 

 was their cry, which, as mentioned by Wheelwright, is 

 a very musical, long-drawn whistle, quite unlike the 

 note of any of the numerous Owls with whom I have 

 the honour of personal acquaintance. Although these 

 little Owls seemed to bear captivity well, and did not 

 exhaust themselves by struggling to escape, I lost them 

 all within two years, and vainly tried to discover any 

 cause for their death. 



