LITTLE OWL. 109 
1 )eing Lroadly spotted with white ; the shoulder 
plain chocolate hrown; the tail extends con- 
beyond the tips of the wings ; the bill is much 
and (,f a more golden yellow ; iris of the eye, 
. Siiuie as that of the male. 
different chara(d,er oi' the feathers of this, and, I 
*U *®'«, of most owls, is really surprising. Those that 
iiujj^'ind the bill differ little from bristles ; those that 
the region of the eyes arc ex(teeding open, 
tell **'*" ebbcd; those arc bounded by another set, 
proceeding fi-ora the external edge of the ear, 
8 |J' t'tost peculiar small, narrow, velvety kind, whose 
are so e.xquisitely fine, as to be invisible to the 
; above, the idiimage has one general character 
surface, calculated to repel rain and moisture ; 
'low ‘'"'■ards the roots, it is of the most soft, loose, and 
Id, I ay substance in nature, — so much so, that it may be 
J, 7 «d without being felt; the webs of the wing 
m are also of a delicate softness, covered with an 
W**' linperia'ptible hair, and edged with a loose silky 
itlj a, so that the owner passes through the air without 
fd^.'a'aptiug the most profound silence. Who cannot 
the hand of God in all these things ! 
8TET:r rASSF.JtIXAy LINN.fflUS. — LITTLE OWL. 
STRIX ACADJCA, CMELIN. 
> plate XXXIV. FIG. I. — EDINBURGH 
COLLEGE MUSEUM. 
T 
is one of the least of its 1111016 g^enns ; hut, like 
Vjt>ther little folks, makes up, in neatness of general 
apnoaranee, for deficiency of size, and is, 
I'oln “ 1 ’-% the most shapely of all onr owls. Nor are the 
and markings of its plumage inferior in simpli- 
I'ml »i>d efleet to most others. It also possesses an eye 
'J'l ?'*^l^**il in spirit and hrilliancy to the In.'st ot thorn, 
tile t'pecies is a general and constant inhiihitant of 
nw^tlddle and northern states; but is found most 
HiUd in the neighbourhood of the sea shore, and 
Woods and swamps of pine trees. It rarely 
