123 O W L .
P lace and
Manners.
>4-
YAICKAN
E. O.
D escription.
This inhabits the colder parts of Carniola, in the woods. It
makes its neft in the clefts of rocks, and in hollow trees; lays
from two to four eggs; the old one feeds the young birds with
the May Beetle *, as the wing-cafes are often found near their
nefts.
Kramer fays it is the fize of a Blackbird, and is exaftly the
fame colour as the Goat-fucker, or Wry-rteck; and adds, that it
feeds on fmall birds; is called at Bologna by the name of Giu,
and is not common.
This is certainly not the Scops, as both Scopoli and Kramer ex-
prefsly mention the contrary.
Stryx demimita, Pall. Trav. vol. ii. p. 707. N® 14.
J N fize it is under the Scops, and very different from it in appearance.
It’s weigh* is lefs than a pound. It is fo like the
Bubo, or firft fpecies, that, excepting the plumage being lefs
elegant and diftinft, one defcription might ferve.
It is found both in the woody and mountainous parts bordering
on the Jaick, and Ural mountains in Siberia.
• Scarabajus Melolontha, Lm. Scop,
Stria
O W L . 129
Strix Scops, Li«. Syß. i. p. 132. N° 5.
Le petit Due, BriJ. orn. i. p. 495. N° 5. t. 37. f. I.
Le Scops, ou petit Due, Buf. oif. i. p. 333. t. 24.
-----------—---- -------PI. enl. 436.
Scops Aldrovandi, Rail fyn. p. 25, N° 3.
Little Horn-owl, Will. orn. p. 101. t. 12.
H I S elegant fpecies meafures in length feven inches and a
quarter. The bill is black : irides yellow: the whole of the
bird is variegated with grey, rufous, brown, and blackilh; on
the upper parts the brown predominates, on the under parts the
grey: quills tranfverfely barred with rufous white : the ears con-
fift only of one feather each: legs covered to the toes with rufous
grey feathers, Ipotted with brown: the toes and claws are like-
wife brown.
M. de Buffon obferves, that the two lingle feathers which com-
pofe the ears are very fliort, and are with difficulty difeovered in the
dead bird, as well as not fufficiently apparent to diftinguifh this
from the Little Owl without ears, at a diftance. It differs much
in colour from age or fex ;— when young, it is wholly of a grey
colour; and among the older ones, fome are browner than
others: the colour of the iris likewife keeps pace with the above
circumftances, being of a pale yellow in the young birds, and
either of a deeper yellow, or hazel, in the old ones.
Thefe birds are common in many parts of Europe, on the continent,
but have not hitherto been obferved in England. In
France they arrive and depart much about the fame time with the
Swallow. At certain times they wage war with the Field Mice,
which have been known to multiply in fome years fo much, as
S to
«5-
SCOPS.
D escription.
Observation.
Place and
Manners.