tengmalm's owl. 563 



countries from Great Slave Lake to the United States. On 

 the banks of the Saskatchewan, it is so common, that its 

 voice is heard almost every night by the traveller wherever 

 he may select his camp. 



According to Richardson its length is 11^ inches, measured over 

 the crown, while the S, acadica similarly measured gives only 10 

 inches. The tail in this species is 5 inches : in S. acadica only three 

 inches. The bill whitish on the ridge and at the tip ; but dark-co- 

 lored on the sides. Fascial circle blackish round the orbits and at the 

 base of the bill ; the rest of it is white, with black shafts and barbs 

 towards its posterior margin. Ear-feathers blackish-brown with a few 

 white spots. — Above liver-brown. The front thickly dotted with 

 round white spots, one only, in general, on each feather near its tip; 

 but, in a few, there is an indication of a pair of spots lower down. 

 (In S. acadica, the white forms linear streaks along the shafts of the 

 feathers of the head). Spots on the occiput somewhat distant, larger 

 on the back of the neck and shoulders, each spot being restricted to 

 the middle of the feather. Only 2 or 3 spots on the back, but many 

 on the scapulars. A few distant round spots on the lesser wing cov- 

 erts. Coverts of the primaries unspotted, except on their inner webs. 

 The quills with 4 or 5 semi-orbicular spots on the margin of their 

 outer webs, and as many oblong larger spots, extending to near the 

 margins of the inner ones. The outer spots of the 2 first primaries 

 are nearly obsolete. The secondaries have 2 spots on their outer 

 webs, and usually about 5 on their inner ones. The tail of the gen- 

 eral color of the upper plumage, crossed by 5 narrow interrupted 

 white bands of spots not extending to the shafts of the feathers. 

 — Below there is a general mixture of white and dusky-brown, dis- 

 posed in large and confluent spots ; the white occupies the lateral 

 margins of the feathers. Wing linings white with some blotches of 

 clove-brown. The feathers of the legs and feet soiled yellowish- 

 white, with some obscure brown markings. Conch of the ear partly 

 semicircular, with a long narrow operculum. The tips of the wings 

 when folded are an inch and a quarter shorter than the tail. The 3d 

 quill longest, and the 4th is nearly equal with it. 



Note. Besides the large Spotted Owl, (Wapacuihu) of Mr. 

 Hutchins, which, Dr. Richardson considers as a distinct and valid 

 species, 1 have seen in the collection of the Zoological Gardens in 

 London a large Owl, labelled, Bubo Maximus from Hudson's Bay. 



