LAND BIRDS. 297 



rigidly protected wherever found. The present law (1912) forbids their 

 destruction and every person should see tliat the law is enforced. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Bill with a very long hook but without the distinct tooth and notch of the falcons; 

 claws all of equal length; second and third primaries longest and nearly equal, the first 

 four emarginate on inner webs. 



Adult male: Most of the head and entire imder parts pure white, only the sides of 

 the head with a dark stripe, and the crown and occiput more or less streaked with dusky, 

 the upper breast sometimes faintly blotched with brownish; upper parts dark grayish 

 brown, many feathers with narrow whitish edges or tips; tail ligliter brown above witli 

 about seven or eight dark bars, the inner webs of all but the middle pair distinctly barred 

 below with pm-e white and dusky. 



Adult female: Precisely like male except that the upper breast is more distinctly 

 spotted. 



Immature: Similar to adult, but with less white on the head, and usually with most 

 of the feathers of back and upper surface of wings widely margined and tipped with whitish. 



Little or no difference in size of male and female (exceptional among hawks). Length 

 20.75 to 25 inches; wing 17 to 21; tail 7 to 10; expanse of wings about 5i feet. 



Suborder STRIGES. Owls. 



This suborder is commonly divided into two families, the Aluconida?, 

 or Barn Owls, and the Strigida3, including all the rest. In addition to the 

 diagnostic points mentioned below the Barn Owls have a pectinate middle 

 claw not found in other owls. 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



A. Lower half of tarsi naked or bristly; facial disk much narrowed below 



(Fig. 77) Family 40. Aluconidse. Barn Owl. No. 149. 

 AA. Tarsi well feathered; facial disk circular or nearly so (Fig. 80). Family 

 41. Strigida). B, BB, BBB. 

 B. Large owls, wing 13 inches or more. C, CC. 



C. With prominent ear-tufts or feather-horns (plumicorns). 

 Great Horned Owl and Western Horned Owl. Nos. 157 

 158. 

 CC. Without prominent ear-tufts. D, DD. 



D. Mainly white, more or less barred with black. Snowy 



Owl. No. 159. 

 DD. Not mainly white. E, EE. 



E. Very large, wing 16 to 18 inches. Great Gray Owl. 



No. 153. 

 EE. Not so large, wing 13 to 15 inches. F, FF. 



F. Under parts thickly streaked but with no cross 



bars. Short-eared Owl. No. 151. 

 FF. Breast heavily cross-barred, only the belly 

 streaked. Barred Owl. No. 152. 

 BB. Owls of modeiate size, wing from 8 to 13 inches. G, GG. 

 G. With prominent ear-tufts. Long-eared Owl. No. 150. 

 GG. With very small car-tufts or none. H, HH. 



H. Under parts heavily streaked, but no cross-bars. Short- 

 eared Owl. No. 151. 



