MOEPHOLOGT OF THE OWLS. 251 



Ft. spinalis with a short interscapular fork, the branches arising below the middle of 

 the interscapular region, short, widely divergent, tapering, terminating rather below the 

 free end of the scapula *. The stem of the posterior portion not forked, but running 

 sti-aight up to the convergent bases of the arms of the interscapular fork. Widest 

 posteriorly, forked terminally ; the branches short, not wide enough apart to embrace 

 the oil-gland. 



Pt. colli veniralis. — Forks almost immediately after its origin. 



Pt. centralis. — Outer branch very narrow ; median broad and strong, terminating in 

 the middle region of the sternum. The recurved branch (" hook ") very feeble. Inner 

 branch arises in the region of the middle of the furculum and runs in the dii'ection of 

 the carina of the sternum ; over the middle of the sternum it trends outwards and 

 upwards, again converging on the abdomen, each branch terminating separately some 

 distance in front of the free end of the pubis and not meeting its fellow in the middle 

 line in fi'ont of the cloacal aperture. 



Pt. Immeralis. — Connected with the pt. veiitralis by a single row of feathers. 



Pt.femoraUs. — Femoro-crural band terminating over the proximal third of the crus, 

 not running upwards to the femoro-tibial articulation. 



Pt. cruralis. — Feathers of acrotarsium barely concealing the skin ; on acropodium 

 degenerate, shafts only remain. No filoplumes. Planta feathered ; the base of the 

 terminal phalanx of the toes covered by 3 scales. 



Uliampotlieca. — Cere short, inflated, forming two pisiform swellings on either side of 

 the culmen as in Speotyto. 



TIropygium. — Napiform, the tubular extremity relatively long. 



Strix plammea, Linn. 



Pteryla capitis : 



Fr onto- parietal area. — In the form of a narrow, median tract of feathers, 

 bounded on either side by an apterium. 



Occipital are a. — Occujoies the whole width of the skull, extending outwards on to 

 the postaural fold. 



Loreal are a. — The base almost obliterated by a semioval apterium lying along the 

 margin of the tomium from the region of the nostril backwards to the gape. The inner 

 boundary of the apterium is formed by a single row of feathers running from the loreal 

 area backwards below the eye to join the feathers of the operculum. 



C i r c u m a u r a 1 area (PI. 28. tig. 1, p. 229).— The preaural fold is well developed 

 and forms an operculum. It is clotlied by some I vows of delicate, elongated feathers, 

 having narrow, discontinuous vanes. 



Postaural fold. — Its upper portion may be considered to merge into the upper 

 limb of the loreal area above the region of the middle of the eye; below it passes 

 insensibly into the ramal area (see " Periphery of the Disc," p. 252). 



* 111 a young iudividual the interscapular termination of this tract was very narrow — out littlo wider than tie 

 stem. The branches were very short, and parallel, not divergent. 



