HA WH O WLS. 
161 
commences to sit from the laying of the first egg. Never shy, in the breeding- 
season this owl is bold in the extreme. When the nest is approached, the bird 
rapidly raises its head and tail in a series of jerks, after the manner of a cuckoo, 
and then suddenly dashes at the intruder. Writing of the habits of this species in 
Lapland, Mr. Wolley, in a letter to Prof. Newton, observes that the “hawk-owl 
fiies much in the daytime; and, with its long tail, short, sharp wings, and quick 
flight, has a very hawk-like appearance in the air, when its large square head is 
the hawk-owl nat. size). 
not seen. It carries itself much after the fashion of the more regular owls; but 
whilst all the feathers at the back give a great breadth to its full face, there is 
quite a table at the top of its head. It cast its bright yellow eyes downwards with 
the true air of half-puzzled wdsdom, or turns its head round for a leisurely gaze in 
another direction ; to glance backwards is out of the question, and to look at anyone 
with a single eye is much beneath its dignity. ’ 
The chief food of this owl consist of lemmings, voles, mice, and birds. The 
breeding-season apparently commences in the middle of April and continues 
VOL. IV.—II 
