BRITISH BIRDS. 
52 
white ; the breaft, belly, and thighs are white ; 
on the former are a few dark fpots ; the legs are 
feathered down to the toes, which are covered with 
Ihort hairs ; the wings extend beyond the tail, 
which is ihort, and marked with alternate bars of 
duiky and white ; the claws are white. Birds of 
this kind vary confiderably ; of feveral which we 
have had in our polfeffion, the differences were ve- 
ry confpicuous, the colours being more or lefs 
faint according to the age of the bird ; the breaft 
in fome was white, without fpots— in others pale 
yellow. The White Owl is well known, and is 
often feen in the rnoft populous towns, frequenting 
churches, old houfes, makings, and other uninha- 
bited buildings, where it continues during the day, 
and leaves its haunts in the evening in queft of its 
prey : Its flight is accompanied with loud and 
frightful cries, from whence it is denominated the 
Screech Owl ; during its repofe it makes a blow- 
ing noife, refembling the fnoring of a man. It 
makes no neft, but depofits its eggs in the holes of 
walls, and lays five or fix, of a whitifh colour. It 
feeds on mice and fmall birds, which it fwallows 
whole, and afterwards emits the bones, feathers, 
and other indigeftible parts, at its mouth, in the 
form of fmall round cakes, which are often found 
in the empty buildings which it frequents* 
