469 



STRIX. SCREECH-OWL. 



The genus Strix, of which the Barn Owl of Europe, Strix 

 flammea, and the American Screech-Owl, Strix Americana, 

 are characteristic species, is distinguished from the other genera 

 by pecuUarities which are obvious to the most superficial ob- 

 server, and which may readily be selected from among those 

 constituting the following generic description. 



Bill short, of moderate strength, compressed tow^ard the end : 

 upper mandible with the dorsal outline straight to the edge of 

 the cere, then decurved in the fourth of a circle, the ridge broad 

 at the base, narrowed and convex anteriorly, the sides convex 

 toward the end, the edges soft until nearly opposite the nostrils, 

 where they are a little inflected, then sharp and direct to the 

 end, the tip acute and decurved over that of the lower mandi- 

 ble ; which is straight, with the crura narrow and flexile ; the 

 angle long, the dorsal line short, ascending and somewhat con- 

 vex, the back and sides convex, the edges soft until near the 

 end, when they become sharp, inflected, and curve downwards, 

 forming on each side a small sinus, close to the rounded tip ; 

 the gape-line slightly sinuous. 



The mouth is very wide ; the palate concave in the middle, 

 sloping upwards at the sides, with two longitudinal papillate 

 ridges, and an anterior median tuberculate ridge. Posterior 

 aperture of the nares elliptical with an anterior slit, the mar- 

 gins of which and the space between it and the ridges are 

 covered with minute papillae directed backwards. Tongue nar- 

 row, fleshy, sagittate and papillate at the base, one of the papillae 

 on each side being much larger, the sides nearly parallel, the 

 upper surface flattened, with a median groove, the tip thin, bifid, 

 with two pointed lobes, a small portion beneath horny, with a 

 median groove. (Esophagus very wide, of uniform diameter ; 

 proventricular glands forming a continuous broad belt. Sto- 



