Another curious little Owl is some- 
times found in England, and has therefore 
gained a place among the British birds. 
This is Tengmalm’s Owl, or Death 
Bird, the latter name having been given 
to it on account of a common superstition 
that reigns among several of the North- 
American Indian tribes. When an Indian 
hears one of these birds uttering its melan- 
choly cry, he whistles towards the spot 
from whence the sound proceeded, and if 
the bird does not answer him, he looks 
for a speedy death. 
This species is at first sight not unlike 
the Little Owl, but may be at once dis- 
tinguished from that bird by the structure 
of its legs and toes, and the thick feathery 
coating with which they are clad. It is a 
very common bird over the whole of the 
inhabited portions of North America, but 
is frequently found in Norway, Sweden, 
Russia, and even in Northern Erance 
and Italy. It is a nocturnal bird, 
seldom wandering from its home during the hours of daylight, as it is almost 
blinded by the unaccustomed glare, and may be easily captured by the hand 
while thus bewildered. The nest of the Tengmalm’s Owl is generally made of 
grass, and is placed about half-way up some convenient pine-tree. The eggs are 
seldom more than two in number, are pure white in colour, and not quite so 
globular as is the case with the generality of owls’ eggs. 
The colour of this bird is more rich and better defined than that of the Little 
Owl. The whole of the upper parts of the body are a rich chocolate-brown, 
dotted and splashed with many white markings, which are very minute upon the 
top of the head, and larger upon the back and wings, some indeed being 
arranged on the lower portions of the wings so as to form irregular stripes. 
Similar white spots are placed on the tail, which is usually of a dark brown. 
The eye disk is greyish-white, excepting a bold black-brown ring just round the 
eye. The under portions of the body are greyish-white, covered with numerous 
brown bars and spots, and the plumage of the legs and toes is also grey-white 
sprinkled with brown spots. The size of the Tengmalm’s Owl is nearly the 
same as that of the Little Owl. 
TENGMALM’S OWL, 
Nyctale funerea. 
