nothing whatever of its natural habits in freedom from 

 personal observation, I refrain from further quotations. 

 I received eight of these Owls alive from Helsingfors in 

 July 1888, one of which is represented in accompanying 

 Plate. These birds are very fearless and savage, very 

 quarrelsome amongst themselves, always wide-awake 

 and ready for food, and constantly uttering a very 

 melancholy and unpleasant cry. The N. American race 

 of Hawk-Owl, which has been described as a distinct 

 species by some ornithologists, differs principally from 

 the European form in the broader and redder colour of 

 the transverse bars on the underparts, but, in my humble 

 opinion, is in no way worthy of specific separation there- 

 from ; it appears that the majority of the Hawk-Owls 

 that have been captured in Great Britain belong to this 

 American race. 



