of the District of Mon treaL 6 9 



3rd. primary longest; length 16 inches; alar expanse 28 

 inches. The female has the tints less clear, and the young bird 

 has the plumage of a rusty brown. 



S. nyctea. Snowy owl. 



S. Candida of Latham ! 



Nyctea nivea. Gray ! Baird ! 

 v.s.p. ET V. Bill and claws blueish black ; irides bright yellow ; 

 eggs 2 white. 



Dorsal asoect. Facial disk white ; head, neck and whole dorsal 

 region pure white, with more or less distinct umber brown, in 

 some instances, blackish bars ; rump and tail coverts white ; tail 

 white with three imperfect terminal blackish bars ; primaries and 

 secondaries white, with bars on the vanes of the former, and 

 black spots on the inner webs of the latter. 



Ventral aspect. Throat, vent, tail coverts, wing linings, and 

 tail white ; breast and belly white barred like the back. 



Nostrils large, oval, obliquely situated at the margin of the 

 cere ; femorals as long as the tarsus ; tarsus feathered to the 

 talons, the feathers here being long and soiled ; claws black, long, 

 curved, and very sharp ; 3rd primary longest ; 2nd, 3rd and 4th 

 have their outer vanes abruptly notched ; barbs of the outer vane 

 of the 1st primary have their points reverted and open. Length 

 25 inches ; alar expanse 54 inches. The female is a little larger 

 than the male, and more spotted. The old males are nearly 

 altogether pure white. 



2nd Subdivision. 



Heads furnished with ears. 



S. ncevia. Mottled owl, or screech owl. 



S. asiOf male. Audubon ! 



>S. a«*o of Linnoeus ! 



S. noevia of Wilson ! Adult. 



Scojys asio. Bonaparte ! Baird ! 

 v.s.p. Bill and claws white bone colour, the latter tipped with 

 black ; irides bright yellow ; at a distance the prevailing hue of 

 the bird is gi'^y. 



Dorsal aspect. A near approach defines the facial disk to be 

 of a gray white colour, with a pale brown line on the upper 

 eyelid; the disk bounded by a black line meeting in the throat, 

 and terminating below the ears ; hair-like feathers of the cere, 

 very long ; anterior ones projecting considerably beyond the bill ; 

 upper part of the head and neck gray and brown, streaked with 



