110 
STRIX PASSERINA. 
rambles much during- day; but, if disturbed, flies a 
short way, and ag-ain 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 melan- 
choly and gloomy umbrage of those solitary evergreens 
forms its favourite haunts, where it sits dozing and 
slumbering all day, lulled by the roar of the neighbouring 
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 with five bars of white ; 
tail, rounded, rather darker than the body, crossed with 
two rows of white spots, and tipt 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 colour ; lower parts, 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 description was 
taken, was shot on the sea shore, near Great Egg Har- 
bour, 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 ($. albifrons, ) 
which, in every thing except the size, agrees with this 
bird, and has, very probably, been taken from a young 
male, which is sometimes found considerably less than 
the female. 
