473 



STRIX FLAMMEA. THE EUROPEAN SCREECH- 

 OWL. 



BARN OWL. CHURCH OWL. SCREECH OWL. HISSING OWL. WHITE 

 OWL. YELLOW OWL. GII.LIHOWTER. HOWLET. HOOLET. CAILLACH- 

 OIDHCHE-GHEAL. 



Strix flammea. Linn. Syst. Nat. I. 1.'53. 



Strix flammea. Lath. Ind. Orn. L GO. 



Barn OwL Mont. Orn. Diet. 



Chouette Effraie. Strix flammea. Temm. Man. cl'Orn. L 91; IL 48. 



Barn or White Owl. Strix flammea. Selb. Illustr. L 99. 



Strix flammea. Barn Owl. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 92. 



Operculum margined with linear oblong perfect feathers ; bill 

 yellowish- white ; claws blacTcish-grey ; upper parts light reddish- 

 yellow ; variegated with minutely mottled ash-grey^ and small 

 black and white spots ; facial disks and lower parts ichite ; the 

 latter with small dusky spots. Young similar to the adidt, but 

 with the upper paints darker. 



Male. — The Common Barn Ova4 of this country, to which 

 I have given the name of European Screech-Owl, to distinguish 

 it from an American species, which has usually been confound- 

 ed with it, is one of the most beautiful birds of the family to 

 which it belongs, and, were it not for the enormous size of its 

 head, would not be deficient in elegance of form. The propor- 

 tions of its parts being fully described in the generic character, 

 it is unnecessary to repeat them here. There is a peculiarity 

 in this species however which requires to be attended to : the 

 operculum is fringed with delicate feathers having all their 

 parts complete, whereas in the very closely allied American 

 Screech-Owl, these feathers are destitute of the filaments and 

 shaft, being reduced to the tube. 



The tongue is three quarters of an inch in length, narrow, 



