STRIGID.E — THE OWLS — ATHENE. 



437 



Sub-Family ATHENIN^. 



Char. Size small ; facial disk very imperfect, nearly obsolete ; tarsi par- 

 tially or liut tliiuly feathered ; head imtufted. 



The species of tliis group are numerous, and less strictly nocturnal than 

 others. 



Gexus ATHENE, Boie. 



Athene, BoiE, Isis, 1822, 549. 



Gen. Char. Wings rather long ; tail rather short ; bill short ; legs rather long, thinly- 

 covered with short bristly feathers ; toes naked, or with a few hair-lLke feathers. 



Contains forty species, generally distributed. 



Athene cunicularia, Molina. 



THE BUEEOWING OWL. 



Strix cunicularia, Molina, Sagg. Stor. Nat. Chili, 1782. — Ndttall, Man. I. 123, and 

 other authors on the Cahfornian species. — Athene cunicw/ana, Bonaparte, Eur. and 

 Am. Birds, G. — Cassiv, P. R. Rep. Birds, IX. 60. — Baird, X. iii. 13. (Utah.) — Iven- 

 NERLY, X. iv. 20. — Kaup, Trans. Z. S. iv. 201. — Heeb.mann, X. vi. 33. — Canfield, 

 Aiuer. Nat. 1869, 583 (habits). — Cooper and Scckley, XII. iii. Zool. of W. T. 157. 



Strix Califurnica, Audubon, Birds Araer. ; jjl. 432, f. 2 (name). In. oct. cd. I. ; jil. 31. 

 (Lower figure.) 



Athene hijpwirea, Newberry, P. R. Rep. VI. ii. 17, but not of Bonaparte ; the species found 

 cast of tlic Roclcy Mountains, according to Cassin. 



Sp. Char. Upper parts light ashybrown, with large spots of dull white enclosed in 

 edgings of brownish-black. Throat white ; a transverse band of brownish-black and red- 



it. cunicutana. 



