164 
O WLS. 
one of the young, whereupon one of the parents charges the despoiler, who holds 
up his gun-stock, against which the bird dashes headlong. 
With the screech-owls, or scops-owls, we come to a genus of mostly 
Screech-Owls • • • * 
small species, distinguished from the preceding representatives of the 
group with uninflated ceres by the presence of distinct ear-tufts. In this character 
these owls agree with the large eagle-owls to be next mentioned, from which they 
are distinguished, in addition to their generally smaller size, by the wings being 
very long, and reaching nearly or quite to the tip of the tail. As a rule the toes 
are feathered, but in certain species the metatarsus is completely bare. There are 
between twenty and thirty species of these small-liorned owls, which range over 
the greater part of both the Old and New Worlds, although only one of them 
occurs in Europe. In habits they are largely nocturnal, although they may at 
times be seen abroad in the daytime. Groves, gardens, and wooded districts are 
their favourite resorts; their nests are made in trees, and the food of some of 
them is to a great extent composed of the larger insects. Dr. Sharpe remarks 
that the various species of screech-owls are more difficult to distinguish than are 
those of any other genus, although the Old World forms are very distinct from 
those of America. 
The common scops-owl (Scops giu), which is represented on the left side of the 
figure on p. 152, is one of the smallest European members of the family, and is 
occasionally met with in England. It ranges over southern continental Europe in 
summer, and in winter reaches North Africa; while eastwards it extends to 
Persia and Turkestan, being replaced by allied varieties or species in Japan, India, 
Malaysia, and South Africa. In length this little owl does not exceed 8 inches; 
and it belongs to a group characterised by the dusky hue of the beak, the greyish 
brown colour of the face-disc, the slender and feathered metatarsus, and the general 
grey or brown hue of the plumage, of which the upper surface is vermiculated, 
while on both aspects the middle lines of the feathers are distinctly streaked with 
black. Although generally nocturnal, the scops-owl has been observed in Spain 
in the full summer sun. Its flight is very like that of the little owl, and its 
food consists almost wholly of insects. In May the female lays from five to six 
eggs in the hollow of some tree, and the bird sits so close that it may often be 
taken by the hand. “ This owl,” as Professor Newton observes, “ is remark¬ 
able for the constancy and regularity with which it utters its plaintive and 
monotonous cry, sounding like keiv, keiv, and pronounced at intervals of about two 
seconds throughout the livelong night.” 
Among the American species we may mention the flammulated screech-owl 
(S. fiammeolus), ranging from the southern United States to Guatemala, which is 
of small size, with the metatarsus feathered for more than half its length, and the 
toes bare; the common North American screech-owl (S. asio), which has a very 
extensive range and numerous varieties, and is distinguished by its feathered toes; 
and, lastly, the crested screech-owl (S. cristatus ) of Amazonia, which attains a 
length of fully 16 inches. The common screech-owl is an abundant bird, exhibit¬ 
ing a grey and a red phase of plumage, and is not migratory. Although living for 
the greater part of the year in forests, when the ground is mantled in snow this 
owl seeks the protection afforded by buildings, and is then more frequently seen. 
