610 



SYSTEM A TIC SYNOPSIS. — RAPTORS S — STRIGES. 



477. S. n. al'leni. (To J. A. Allen.) Florida Barred Owl. Like S. nebulosa proper, but 

 toes almost entirely naked. The feathering of the tarsus stops at the roots of the toes almost 

 as abruptly as it does in Scops flammeola, iu comparison with iS^. asio, though a slight strip of 

 bristly feathers runs along the outside of the middle toe. The barring of the breast seems 

 to be heavier, on an average. Florida ; a local race. 



478. S. occidenta'lis. (Lat. occidentalis, western.) Western IJarred Owl. Toes feathered as 

 in S. nebulosa. Decidedly smaller than that species, and otherwise readily distinguished. 

 Ground-color of upper parts much the same, but the barring broken up into spotting, for the 

 most part ; on the back and wing-coverts resulting in iiTegular variegation, on the head making 

 small round white spots. Wings, tail, and facial disk much as in S. nebulosa. Under parts 

 quite different, the markings being in bars everywhere, with little difference in pattern between 

 the belly and the breast. The latter is closely and regularly barred with brown and white, as 

 in S. nebulosa, and if the barring is at all diflerent on the belly, it is irom separation of the 

 white bars into pairs of spots, in any event very diff'erent in appearance from the firm length- 

 wise stripes of S. nebulosa. The difference between the two species in this regard is comparable 

 to that between the Ic 'g- and short-eared owls. The lining of the wdngs is fully spotted with 

 dusky on a tawny grc and. The general brown color of the bird is on the whole warmer than 

 that oi S. nebulosa. Length about 16.00 ; wing 12.00-13.00 ; tail 8.00-9.00. Western U. S., 

 southerly; a very distinct species, apparently replacing the barred owl, common in parts of 

 California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Egg 2.00 X 1.75, yellowish-vi-hito, granular. 



165. NYC'TEA. (Gr. vvurcvs, nukteus, Lat. nycteus, 

 nocturnal.) Snow Owls. Much the same gen- 

 eric characters as Bubo, which see ; but plumicorns 

 rudimentary, and generally considered wanting; 

 facial disc quite incomplete, and eyes not centric 

 to it ; bill nearly buried iu the frontal feathers j 

 feet densely clothed in long shaggy feathers which 

 even hide the claws ; four outer quills emarginate 

 on inner webs ; under tail-coverts reaching end of 

 tail, which is rounded, and rather more than i as 

 l(jng as the wing. One circumpolar species of 

 great size, and mostly white color; young covered 

 with sooty down. 



479. N. scandia'ca. (Lat. scandiaca, of Scandinavia. 

 Fig. 857.) Snowy Owl. Pure white, spottc 

 and barred with brownish -black markings, w^holly 

 indeterminate in size and number; but entirely 

 white specimens are very rare. There is often 

 more blackish than white ; and in the darkest 

 birds, the markings tend to bar the plumage with 

 rows of spots, such pattern specially evident on the 

 wings and tail. A common average plumage is 

 spotted all over the upper parts, broken-barred on 

 the quills and tail-feathers, regularly barred on the under parts, and with white face and paws. 

 The fiu'e, throat, and feet are usually whitest. Bill and claws black ; iris yellow. Nearly or 

 about two feet long; extent 4.50-5.00 feet; wing 16.00-18.00 inches; tail 9.00-10.00; culmen 

 1.10 without cere; tarsus 2.00 ; middle toe without claw 1.25. This remarkable owl, conspic- 

 uous in size and color, abounds in the boreal regions of both hemispheres, whence it comes 

 southward irregularly in winter, sometimes raiding in large numbers. With us, it is of every 

 winter occurrence in the Northern and Middle States, sometimes pushing its way even to the 



Fig. 357. — Suowy Owl, reduced. (From Tenney, 

 after Audubon.) 



