SCOPS EARED-OWL,
LITTLE HORNED-OWL.
Scops Aldrovandi, FLEMING. SELBY. Striae Scops, LiNNAEUS. MONTAGU. Bubo Scops, JENYNS. Strix zona, LATHAM. Strix Giu, LATHAM.
Scops—The Greek name of some kind of Owl. Aldrovandi—-Of Aldrovandus.

This little Owl is a native of the temperate parts of each of the four quarters of the globe. In Asia it belongs to the Crimea, Palestine, and other districts. In Africa, to Algeria, Abyssinia, Sennaar, and Egypt. In Europe, it occurs plentifully in France, Italy, Germany, Greece and its islands, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, Corfu, Portugal, Sardinia, and other countries. In Holland and Belgium it is rare.
In Yorkshire, a specimen of this kind was recorded by G-. S. Foljambe, Esq., to have formerly occurred. Another was shot near Wetherby, in the spring of 1805; another near York; one near Driffield, in 1839; one at Boynton, Sir G-eorge Strickland's, near Bridlington, in July, 1832; one at Bossall, then the residence of Captain Beaumont, near York; and four, two old birds and two young ones, at Ripley, Sir William Ingilby's, which were for a fortnight nailed up to a house. Another is said to have been shot at Womersley, one of the seats of Lord Hawke; and yet another by the gamekeeper of Matthew Wilson, Esq., of Eshton Hall. In Berkshire one, in 1858, and one at Carden Park, the seat of J. H. Leche, Esq.; three are are mentioned by Yarrell, one in Sussex, at Shillmglee, the seat of Lord Winterton; one near Brill, in Buckinghamshire, in the spring of 1833; another in Tresco, one of the Scilly Islands, in April, 1847. In Cornwall one also was taken at Trevethoe, early in January, 1871. Another was caught near London; one in Worcestershire, near Fladbury; and two were shot near Audley End, in Essex, the seat of Lord Braybrooke. In Norfolk four or five, as early as June, and as late as September, one near Pembroke, in the spring of 1838, also a specimen in Wiltshire, one in Stokes Bay, in Hampshire. It is said to have bred in Castle Eden Dene, in the County of Durham, but the fact is doubted, and that it does so near the river Oykel, in Sutherlandshire.
In Ireland, two specimens have been obtained, one in the month of July, at Loughcrew, in the county of Meath, the seat of J. W. Lennox Naper, Esq.; and another in April, 1847, near Kilmore, in the county of Wexford.
This species inhabits gardens and plantations even in the neighbourhood of towns.
During the day-time they lie 'perdu' in the holes of trees, or leafy recesses, from whence they emerge in the evening to seek their prey. If taken young from the nest they are easily tamed.
It is a migratory species in some parts.
Their flight, according to Meyer, is soft and wavering, but tolerably quick.
Their food consists of mice, shrews, frogs, small birds, grasshoppers, cockchaffers and any beetles, moths, and other insects, and worms; with the latter kinds the young birds are fed.
The note, which is very loud, and resembles the words 'kew, kew,' is said to be uttered 'as regular as the ticking of a pendulum,' at intervals of about half a minute, even for the whole night. It is like the sound of a single note on a musical instrument.
The nest is generally placed in the hole of a tree or a rock, as also
in heather. Selby says that no nest is constructed.
The eggs are white, and from two to four or five, or, according to Selby, as many as six in number.
These birds vary much in colour, from dark brown of various shades to grey. Male; length, about seven inches and a half; bill, dusky, black at the tip; iris, yellow; the tufts on the head are short and indistinct; the feathers, which are six or eight, to twelve in number, are dark in the centre; the ruff, which is also inconspicuous, is yellowish white at the base, and tipped with black; the face, grey, delicately pencilled with brown. Crown, streaked with dark brown on a pale brown ground, forming a central band between the tufts; breast, dull yellow and grey, mottled with brown in the most beautiful manner, some of the feathers with square-shaped dusky spots, and waved with narrow lines of the same. Back, rufous brown and grey, the former the predominating colour; the whole streaked, barred, and mottled with black.
The wings extend a little beyond the end of the tail, and expand to the width of about one foot eight or nine inches; greater and lesser wing coverts, rufous brown and grey, the former the prevailing colour, with a conspicuous mark of yellowish white, the feathers edged and tipped with dark brown; primaries, barred with yellowish, or greyish, or rufous white and brown on the inner webs; and on the outer webs with alternate bars of white and speckled brown, the former shaded at the edges with the latter. The third is the longest, the second nearly as long, the fourth the next, the first intermediate between the fifth and the sixth. The secondaries have an oval spot of white on the outer webs, which together form an interrupted bar across; tail, slightly rounded, and barred alternately with a lighter and darker mottled space, and one of yellowish or reddish white; underneath, it is, as are the under tail coverts, greyish white, mottled and barred with brown. The legs, which are feathered, are dark yellowish or rufous white, streaked and speckled with brown on the centre of the feathers; (Mudie says that they are bare of feathers, from which fact he supposed that this species belongs to warmer climes!) toes, bluish yellow, not feathered, but covered with scales: the outer one is capable of being turned backwards; claws, horn-colour.
The females does not differ much in plumage from the male; length, eight inches and a half.
The young are said to be at first grey, and the iris, light yellow.

"The Owl awakens from her fell."
The Lady of the Lake.