410 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



head iiuil bis knees to tremble for fear that a panther is prowbng 

 in the neighliorhood. When several get together their nocturnal 

 concerts are very entertaining. One appears to tell some joke or 

 do something funny, at which the rest set up a hearty though 

 demoniacal he-hc-hv-hf, hi-hi-hi-hi, ha-ha-ha-ha, — and the uncanny 

 company is boisterously hilarious for a few moments, when the 

 solitude of night again reigns supreme. 



The Barred Owl is less strictly noetunial than the Great Homed 

 Owl, Long-eared Owl, or Little Screech Owl. ami may often be seen 

 flying about during dark or cloudy weather. In fact, its call may 

 often be heard in bright sunny days, and is then often the means 

 of the bird's destruction, as perhaps no bird is more easily lured 

 by a good imitation of its note, — and that of the present species is 

 susceptible of very exact imitation. 



Genis SCOTIAPTEX Sw.unsox. 



Srnliaplex Swains. Clussif, B. ii. IS)7. :;i;, TyiJu Slrix eiuerea Gmel. 



Ukn. Char. Size Iui'bc. iiltliouKh tlio liody is very small In proportion to the lonetli 

 of thp wine and tall. Head without ear-tufts. Six outer nuills with Inner webs emurel- 

 nated. Toes completely and densely covered by long hair-Uke feathers. 



Scotiaptex cinereiun (Gmel.) 



GKZAT GEAY OWL. 



Popular spionyms. Great Cinereous Owl: Groat Sooty Owl: .Spectral Owl. 



Slrix cini-rea Omel. 8. N. 1. pt. 1. 1788.291.— Sw. & Rich. F. B. A. ii. 1831, 77. pi. Sl.-NUTT. 



Man. 1. 1832, 128.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 364, pi, 351.— COUKS, 2d Check List, 1882, 



No. 474. 

 riula eiufyea Bp. Consp. 1. 1850. 53 (part).— RiDOW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 399. 

 Suniium eiueremn Bp. 1838.— .\UD. Synop. 1839. 2ii: B. .\m. 1. 1840. 130, pi. .%.— Cass in 



Boird'sB, N.Am. 18o8.5ti.—BAlBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 33.— COUES, Chock List. 



1873, App. p. 131; B. N, W, 1874,.'i07 (b. citiereum). 

 Surnium lapponicutu var, cinereum CouES, Key, 1872. 204; Check List, 1873, No. .322. 

 Svrnium {Scotiaptex) cinereum B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. iii,1874, 30. 



Hab. Northern North America, south, in winter, to northern United States, as tar as 

 Massachusetts. Rhode Island, northern New York, northern Illinois, Minnesota, etc.; 

 breeding ns far south as Canada {"Oologist". v, 1880, p. .14). 



Sp. Cbab. Adull. Ground-color of the upper surface dark vandyke-brown, but this 

 relieved by a tronsverse mottling (on the edges of the feathers) of white, the median 

 portions of the feathers being scarcely variegated, causing an appearance of indistinct 

 longitudinal dark stripes these most conspicuous on the scapulars and back. The an- 

 terior portions above are more regularly barred transversely: the white bars interrupted 

 howevor,by the brown median stripe. On the rump and and upper tail-coverts themot- 

 tlinglsmore profuse, cnusingagraylsh appearance. On the wlng-coverts the outer webs 



