HAWK OWL. 



241 



the fourth, which is the longest in the wing- ; shanks plaited, long, and 

 slender ; middle toe greatly exceeding the two lateral ones in length ; 

 claws much hooked, and very sharp ; flight rapid and direct. They 

 pounce upon their prey on the wing, and are so bold as to attack much 

 larger birds than themselves.* 



HAWK OWL (Otus brachyotus, Fleming.) 



* Strix Brachyotus, Lath. Ind.Orn. 1. p. 55. 11.— Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 289. sp. 17. — 

 Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 73. — Otus Brachyotus, Flem. p. 58. — Strix 

 Ulula, Lath. Ind. Orn. 1 p. 60. sp. 27. var. B. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 294.— Strix 

 Brachyura, Nils. Faun. Suec. 1. p. 62. sp. 27. — Hibou Brachyote, Temm. Man. 

 d'Orn. 1. p. 99.— Chouette ou Grand Cheveche, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 372. t. 27.— 

 Ib. pi. Eni. 438.— Chouette Caspienne, Sonn. Nouv. ed. Buff. Ois. 4. p. 169.— 

 Kurzorige Ohreule, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 2. p. 909. — Frisch, Vog. t. 98. — 

 Caspian Owl, Lath. Syn. l.p. 140. and 147. — Short-eared Owl, Venn. Zool. 1. 

 p. 204. and 206.— Arct. Zool. 2. No. 116.— Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. 1. 25.— Lath. 

 Syn. 1. p. 124. 9.— Ib. Supp. p. 43.— Mont. Orn. Diet. 2.— Wale. Syn. 1. 1. 25. 

 Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 4. — Beiuick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 48. and 50. — Low's Faun. 

 Oread, p. 42.— Selby, pi. 21. 8vo. pi. l.p. 54. 



Provincial. — Woodcock Owl. Mouse Hawk. * 



This species weighs eleven ounces ; length near fifteen inches. Bill 



dusky ; irides bright yellow. The feathers immediately surrounding 



the eyes are black ; those that cover and surround the bill white ; the 



wreath round the face beautifully speckled with light ferruginous, black, 



and white, except at each ear, where it is wholly black ; on the top of 



the head, above each eye, is a tuft of feathers, which it can erect at 



pleasure, the foremost of which are black on the outer webs, and white 



on the inner ; the rest of the head, neck, back, and scapulars, dusky, 



bordered more or less with light ferruginous ; breast and belly yellowish 



white, streaked with dusky down the shafts ; the greater quills are light 



ferruginous on the outer webs ; the three first have a single bar of black 



each, and deeply tipped the same ; the others have two bars each, their 



tips brown, inclining to greyish ; the inner webs have one, or part of 



an irregular bar ; the coverts of the primores black ; on the coverts of 



the secondaries are several large spots of white ; the second feather in 



the wing is the longest ; the feathers of the tail are light ferruginous, 



crossed with four dusky bars on the six middle ones, and marked with 



dusky spots on the yellow bars of the two middle feathers ; the bars on 



the outer feathers are not so numerous or so perfect, and the yellow is 



shaded off to almost white on the exterior feathers, which have only 



irregular circles of dusky brown on the inner webs ; the legs are covered 



down to the claws with light yellow feathers. 



The above description is taken from a male killed near Bristol. The 



female is rather less bright in colour, and somewhat superior in size. 



This bird is distinguished from all the other species by the smallness 



R 



