OWLS. 333 



so far as we are aware. The hairy-footed owls are more graceful in shape than most 

 of those we have thus far considered ; the long tail and wings, together with the smooth, 

 tuftless head, and less-staring eyes than usual, combining to give a neat and attractive 

 appearance. Though not so notoriously diurnal as some others, the most of them see 

 well by daylight, and seem perfectly able to take care of themselves if disturbed in 

 the middle of the day. A specimen of JV. scutulata (kirsiita), taken in southern Cey- 

 lon by Lieutenant Legge, had its stomach crammed with undigested beetles, although 

 it was shot about two o'clock in the afternoon, showing that it must have been feeding 

 late in the morning ; and, indeed, the same collector observed that this species regu- 

 larly 'hooted' before sunset and long after sunrise, as well as through the night. 

 Mr. Swinhoe found the northern race (japonica) of this same species to be migratory 

 at Chefoo, north China, passing northward in May and returning in October. 



The powerful-owl, Ninox stremia, of Australia, is said to be chiefly nocturnal in 

 its habits. According to Gray, it is an inhabitant only of the 'brushes,' particularly 

 those along the coast from Port Philip to Moreton Bay, and has a note "hoarse, loud, 

 and mournful, resembling the bleating of an ox." As already stated, it is the largest 

 member of the genus, and also the largest owl of Australia, and only equalled in size 

 among the diurnal birds of prey in that country by the wedge-tailed eagle, Aquila 

 audax, and the white-bellied fishing-eagle, Ichthyaetus leucogaster. Only slightly infe- 

 rior in size is the winking-owl, JV. connivens, also of Australia, a well-known inhabi- 

 tant of the wooded districts, where it hunts by day, and is said to be one of the most 

 merciless enemies of the koala, or Australian bear, Phascolarctos cinereus, the young 

 of which it often carries off bodily. 



A much smaller bird is the New Zealand owl, JV. novce-zealandice, in which, accord- 

 ing to W. L. Buller, the female is smaller than the male, a statement Avhich, if sub- 

 stantiated, w T ill record a fact unique, so far as we know, among birds of prey. 



Apparently belonging to the same section as the foregoing five genera, is the rare 

 and little-known laughing-owl, or white-faced owl, Sceloglaux albifacies, of New 

 Zealand. Although formerly somewhat more abundant than at present, it is not 

 known ever to have been plentiful, and is now believed to be rapidly becoming extinct. 

 Dr. Buller, long resident in New Zealand, writing in 1874, says of it: "As to the 

 present scarcity of the bird, it may be sufficient to state that I have never heard of 

 more than a dozen specimens, and have never seen but one living example." It 

 agrees in several points, such as the tumid cere and long legs, with the genera already 

 treated ; but its skeleton is remarkable for the great size and strength of the clavicles, 

 as well as for other peculiarities. Owing largely to its rarity, as well as partly to 

 ignorance of the interest attaching to its structure and life history, it seems never to 

 have been made the subject of special investigation, and so is in a fair way to become 

 extinct before its true relations to other species or groups have been fully settled. It 

 is a rather large owl (about a foot and a half long), with about the same proportions 

 as the barn-owl (Aluco), except that the wings are shorter. Its specific name, a//>i- 

 facies, refers to the whitish color of the face and sides of head ; but these parts are 

 all more or less streaked with brown and black, so that this name is not particularly 

 appropriate. The name, laughing-owl, is intended to be suggestive of the odd vocal 

 gymnastics of the bird. 



Thus far we have been dealing with owls which show a swollen cere, and nostrils 

 opening fairly within it, while the long legs commonly have a tendency to be bare or 

 bristly. The remaining owls of this sub-family, though varying much in other respects, 



