EUROPEAN SCREECH-OWL. 483 



ing several parallel transverse slits toward the end. The facial 

 disks are dull white, with an orange-hrown spot before the eyes ; 

 the ruff white, with the tips of the lower feathers reddish. The 

 upper parts are pale reddish-yellow, mottled with grey and 

 brown, as in the adult ; the quills and tail of a lighter tint, 

 tinged with grey, and thinly mottled ; the tail with faint indi- 

 cations of bars. 



Progress toward Maturity. — The young differing so little 

 from the adult birds, the changes that take place in the colour 

 of the plumage are very slight. 



Remarks. — Several species not hitherto well described, being 

 very intimately allied to the present, have usually been con- 

 founded with it, so that its distribution has been considered as 

 extending over most parts of Europe, the whole of Africa, a 

 portion of Asia, New Holland, and both divisions of America. 

 The " Barn Owl" of the United States however is a distinct 

 species, characterized, among other peculiarities, by its oper- 

 culum, of which the feathers in all the individuals examined 

 by me are as it were reduced to the tubes, the shafts being 

 wanting. That species also is confined to the warmer regions, 

 whereas ours extends far north ; and its eggs are of a very elong- 

 ated form, compared with those of ours. M. Temminck alleges 

 that " Tespece est absolument la meme dans toute TAmerique 

 Septentrionale ;" and again, " les individus de TAmerique Sep- 

 tentrionale different seulement par quelques legeres teintes plus 

 sombres." Should the gentleman ever see this book, I hope he 

 will look to the ear, and reflect that the males of the American 

 birds are much larger than even the females of ours, the colour 

 of the claws different, the lower parts always reddish. These 

 absolute assertions are hurtful to the credit of ornithologists, 

 and impose upon students, especially those who have the organ 

 of credulity largely developed, or very active, or not counter- 

 acted by others. 



