414 



PREYING BIRDS — RAPTOllES. 



About one hundred and forty sjjecies of owls have been described, some 

 inhabiting every country. (Cassiu.) 



Sub-Family STRIGIN.E. 



Chak. Of medium size ; facial disk perfect ; 1)111 rather long ; eyes 

 rather small for owls ; somewhat lateral ; legs rather long, fully feathered 

 to the toes. 



Genus STRIX, Lixn.eus. 



Strir, LiNNJEns, Syst. Nat. I. 1766, 131. 



Gen. Char. Head large, without ear tufts ; ivinp;s loni; ; tail rather short ; toes and 

 claws rather long ; tarsi thinly covered with small leathers ; middle claw serrated. There 

 are about twelve species known. 



S. flamvua. 



Note. — We give a figure of the European race of the l)arn owl, as type of the genus, one of a 

 series of cuts kindly furnished by the Society for the Diffusion of Christian Knowledge, of 

 London, from a work published by it, entitled " British Birds in their Haunts," by St. John. 

 The illustrations of this work arc of remarkable excellence, having been drawn by John Wolf, 

 and engraved by F. Wliymper. 



