NATURAL SCIENCES OE PHILADELPHIA. 



477 



Gen. Ch. Form of Nisns, i.e., wings short, rounded, and con- 

 cave beneath, tail very long, tarsi and middle toe long and slender, 

 head small, bill short and compressed, with the upper tomium 

 more or less festooned. A distinct ruff around the face, as in 

 Circus; inner webs of the primaries with their edges soft and 



Fig. 1. 



M. melanoleucus. Nat. size. 



woolly, as in the Strigidse. Bill short, high, and much com- 

 pressed, nearly twice as deep as broad at the base ; the culmen 



Fi 



g. 2. 



Fig. 3. 



M. rufieollis. Nat. size. 



