524 
THE STORY OF THE BIRDS. 
merlin usually nests on the ground. Its eggs, four to six in number, are 
brick-red, mottled with a darker shade. Merlins may be trained to hunt 
other birds and are equal to the task of catching a pigeon. 
Kite—Few birds are better known in Europe than the common red kite. 
The general color of its plumage is reddish, while in the old males the head 
and throat are reddish with brown streaks. 
Wandering Falcon—The name is derived from the habits of the young 
which rarely remain long in one place. The marks of the wandering falcon 
are a blackish crown on the head, black patches on the cheeks, back and 
tail a bluish gray, breast reddish white, the beak blue and black at the tip. 
It is found all over Europe, Northern Africa, Siberia, China, Japan and the 
Malay Islands. The North American variety is known as the duck-hawk. 
Long-Eared Owl—F>y reason of its beautifully mottled plumage, of which 
the general color is blackish brown varied with orange buff, this owl is 
one of the handsomest of the common species. It is smaller than the short- 
eared owl, being but thirteen and a half inches in length. Its habits are 
similar to the short-eared. 
Short-Eared Owl—Australia and Oceania are the only countries where 
the short-eared owl is unknown. Its ear tufts are short and the general 
color of its plumage tawny; each feather is streaked with brown down the 
middle; the under parts are pale buff, streaked with blackish brown. In 
length it varies from fourteen to fifteen inches. Its cry resembles the words 
keaw-keaw. It feeds on mice, small birds and beetles. In the United States 
the home of this owl is in the long grasses or weeds along the borders of 
lakes. 
European Barn Owl—Except in New Zealand and parts of Persia, Japan, 
and China this bird is found in all parts of the world. Its length is about 
fourteen inches. Its prevailing color is buff, mottled with black and white. 
The discs on the face around the eyes are white. Its usual cry is a kind 
of scream. Its food is chiefly small mice. Its days are spent in the dark 
parts of buildings or the hollows of trees, and its nights in pursuit of food. 
Godwit—The godwits are allied to the sandpipers but the feathers of the 
forehead are not extended. They breed in the temperate northern regions 
of the northern hemisphere, but migrate far to the south in winter. The best- 
known is the bar-tailed godwit, which measures fifteen or sixteen inches in 
length. In the summer dress, the upper-tail coverts and tail are white with 
dark-brown bars, the lower back, rump and under-wing coverts being white 
