to4 ali.en’s naturalist’s librarv. 
the inner web with white; tail brown, with five rows of white 
bars ; face white, with the lores and a large patch in front of 
the eye black ; ruff very distinct, and composed of dark brown 
feathers, thickly spotted with white; this ruff continued under 
the chin, which is white, as also the fore-neck ; remainder of 
under surface of body white, mottled with brown markings, 
especially on the breast, the flanks streaked with brown, the 
breast more spotted; under wing-coverts white, with small 
brown spots ; the greater series ashy-brown, spotted with 
white, like the inner lining of the quills, which are ashy- 
brown below, barred with white, the bars larger and more 
ovate on the secondaries ; bill dull yellow ; iris bright yellow. 
Total length, 9^5 inches ; wing, 6-7 ; tail, 4-4 ; tarsus, 0-75. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but slightly larger. Total 
length, lo'S inches; wing, 7'5 ; tail, 4'8 ; tarsus, o’85. 
Young. — Differs considerably from the adult. Chocolate- 
brown, darker on the sides of the face and ear-coverts ; lores, 
fore-part of cheeks, and eyebrow white, with blackish bristles 
on the former ; scapulars and upper tail-coverts with concealed 
white spots ; tail brown, with three rows of white spots, not 
continuous ; under surface of body chocolate-brown, the breast 
and abdomen mottled with white; feathers of the thighs and 
feet, as well as the under tail-coverts, yellowish white, with a 
few brown spots. 
Tengmalm’s Owl is often confounded with the Little Owl 
{Carine noctua), but there ought to be no difficulty in dis- 
tinguishing the two species. Both are devoid of horns, like 
the Tawny Owl, but Tengmalm’s Owl is a more northern 
bird, and more thickly clothed with feathers than the southern 
Little Owl. The plumage is altogether more dense and softer 
in the first place, and the species can at once be distinguished 
by the feathering which covers the toes, leaving the claws only 
discernible. In the Little Owl the feathering of the toes is 
much more sparse, and the joints of the toes are plainly visi- 
ble. Tengmalm’s Owl is also a darker bird, and is very 
plainly spotted with white on the head, and especially on the 
facial ruff. The face, too, is pure white, with a very con- 
spicuous black patch on the lores and in front of the eyes. 
Range in Great Britain. — An occasional visitor in spring and 
