STRIGID^ — THE OWLS. 



39 



Genus NYCTALE, Brehm. 

 Nyclalc, Bkehm, 1828. (Type, Strix Iniymalmi, Gmel.) 



G-EN. Char. Size small. Head very large, without car-tufts. Eyes moderate; iris 

 yellow. Two outer primaries only with their inner webs distinctly emargniated. Tarsi and 

 toes densely, but closely, feathered. 

 Ear-conch very large, nearly as 

 high as the skull, with an anterior 

 operculum ; the two ears exceed- 

 ingly asynuiietrioal, not only ex- 

 ternally, but in their osteological 

 structure. Furcula not anchylosed 

 posteriorly, but joined by a mem- 

 brane. 



Of this 



j;euus only three 

 as yet known ; 



Nyctale acadica. 



species are 



two of these belong to the 



Northern Hemisphere, one of 



them (^V. tengmalmi) being 



circiimpolar, the other {X. 



acadica) peculiar to North 



America. The habitat of the 



remaining species (iV. harrim) 



is unknown, but is supposed to be South America. If it be really from that 



portion of the New World, it M'as probably obtained in a mountainous region. 



Species and Races. 



Co>rMON Characters. Above umber, or chocolate, brown, spotted with white 

 (more or less uniform in the young) ; beneath white with longitudinal stripes of 

 reddish-brown (adult), or ochraceous without markings (young). 



A. Nostril sunken, elongate-oval, obliquely vertical, opening laterally ; cere 

 not inflated. Tail considerably more than half the wing. Bill yellow. 



1. N. tengmalmi. Wing, 7.20 ; tail, 4..50; culmen, .60 ; tarsus, 1.00; 

 middle toe, .07 (average). 



Legs white, almost, or quite, un.spotted ; lower tail-coverts with 

 narrow shaft-streaks of brown. (Light tints generally predominat- 

 ing.) Hab. Northern portions of Palasarctic Realm . var. tengmalmi.' 



Legs ochraceous, thickly spotted with brown ; lower tail-coverts 

 with broad medial stripes of brown. (Dark tints generally pre- 

 dominating.) Hdb. Northern portions of Nearctic Realm. 



var. richardsoni. 



1 Nydale tengmalmi, var. tengmalmi. Stria: tcngvuilmi, Gmel. S. N. p. 291, 1789 (et AucT. 

 var.). Nyetale t., Boxap. et AucT. Koctua t., Cuv. et AucT. Athena t., BoiE. Ulula t., 

 BoxAP. et AucT. Scotophihis t.. Swains. Strix dasypus, Bechst. (1791) et Aucr. Nydale d.. 

 Gray. Strix passcrina, A. MEYEn, 1794. — Pallas. Nydak planiceps, Bbehm, 1831. A'. 

 jjijictorum, Br.EHM, 1831. X. ahielum, Breiim, 1831. N. funerea, Bo.vap. 1842 (not of 

 Linn., 1761, wMcli is Surnia ulula). " N. kirtlandi," Elliot, Ibis, 11, Jan., 1872, p. 48 (not 

 of Hoy !). 



