92 LITTLE OWL. 
takes shelter from the light ; at the approach of twilight it is all life 
and activity ; being a noted and dexterous mouse-catcher. It is found 
as far north as Nova Scotia, and even Hudson's Bay ; is frequent in 
Russia ; builds its nest generally in pines, half way up the tree, and 
lays two- eggs, which, like those of the rest of its genus, are white. 
The melancholy and gloomy umbrage of those solitary evergreens forms 
its favorite haunts ; where it sits dozing and slumbering all day, lulled 
by the roar of the neighboring ocean. • 
The Little Owl is seven inches and a half long, and eighteen inches 
in extent ; the upper parts are a plain brown olive, the scapulars, and 
some of the greater and lesser coverts, being spotted with white ; the 
first five primaries are crossed obliquely Avith five bars of white ; tail 
rounded, rather darker than the bod_y, crossed with two rows of white 
spots, and tipped with white ; whole interior vanes of the wings spotted 
with the same ; auriculars yellowish brown ; crown, upper part of the 
neck, and circle surrounding the ears, beautifully marked with numerous 
points of white, on an olive brown ground ; front pure white, ending in 
long blackish hairs ; at the internal angle of the eyes, a broad spot of 
black, radiating outwards ; irides pale yellow ; bill a blackish horn 
color, lower jiarts streaked with yellow ochre and reddish bay ; thighs 
and feathered legs pale buff; toes covered to the claws, which are black, 
large, and sharp pointed. 
The bird from which the foregoing figure and description were taken, 
was shot on the seashore, near Great Egg Harbor, in New Jersey, in 
the month of November ; and on dissection was found to be a female. 
Turton describes a species called the White-fronted Owl [S. alhifrons), 
which in every thing, except in size, agrees with this bird, and has very 
probably been taken from a young male ; which is sometimes found 
considerably less than the female. 
