212 NOTES ON THE 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



The largest owl of North America. Head very large, eyes 

 small, tail rather long; upper parts smoky or ashy brown, 

 mottled and transversely barred with ashy-white; under parts 

 ashy-white, with numerous longitudinal stripes of dark ashy- 

 brown predominating on the breast and with transverse stripes 

 of the same on the abdomen, legs and under tail coverts; 

 quills brown with about five wide, irregular bands of ashy- 

 white; tail brown with five or six wide, irregular bands of 

 ashy white, mottled with dark brow'n; feathers of the disc on 

 the neck tipped with white; eye nearly encircled by a black 

 spot; radiating feathers around the eye. with regular trans- 

 verse narrow bands of dark brown and ashy white; bill pale 

 yellow; claw^s pale yellowish- white, darker at their tips; iris 

 bright yellow. 



Length, 25 to 30; wing, 18; tail. 12 to 15. 



Habitat, Arctic America. 



NYCTALA TENGMALMI RI( HAHDSONI (Bonap.). (371.) 

 RICHARDSON'S OWL. 



I believe this owl to be a more northern species, which vis 

 its the, State considerably in winter. I find it is more common 

 about the head of Lake Superior than in the middle and south- 

 ern counties. I have an individual sent me, sometimes 

 several, from different sections of my field every winter and I 

 have seen a number in Mr. Howlings' collection at different 

 times, but by far the larger portion have been from Duluth and 

 vicinity. It was taken in the dense woods west of Lake Min- 

 netonka as early as 1869, and persons residing in that region 

 who claim to be perfectly familiar with the Saw-whet or 

 Acadian Owl, {N. Acadica) assure me that this form is not 

 unfrequently seen in the colder weather of winter. 



Its food principally is small birds, mice and insects. It is 

 enough larger than the Saw-whet to make its popular observa- 

 tion presumably correct. 



I shall not be greatly surprised if the nest is found here ul- 

 timately, notwithstanding it has been considered so exclusively 

 arctic. It is strictly nocturnal in its habits, living upon small 

 birds, insects and mice. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



(From Stearns. ) 



"Above olivaceous chocolate brown, spotted with white; be- 

 neath, white, spotted and streaked with a brown similar to the 

 back, but a little darker; disk white; a white spot between the 



