The Birds of British Guiana. 103 



The Birds of Britisli Guiana. 



By Chas. Dawson, S.j., .M.A. (Oxok.) 



This ariiclc is rf|)iiiuc(l IK'in ilu- " .Iniirr.al of the iioartl of 

 Agriculture of Brit. Guiana." \vi:h our aiH)!(i,.,Mc-. and tliaiiivs to the lidilur, 

 Author and I'roprieiors. — Editor " Bird Notes." 



II. 



{Continued from pa^rc 82). 



Owls. — Like Hawks, thcst- hircLs lia\.' powerful uilons. 

 hooked beaks and an erect carriage. Ihe beak, htnvever, is 

 not sc powerful, for whereas Hawks tear their prey to pieces 

 before deNouring it, owls generally swallow it whole, and after- 

 wards eject the bones with fur or feathers, in the form of 

 pellets. They may be recognised at once by their cat-like 

 visagf and forward stare. The face is surrounded by a frill, 

 generally of wliite f -athers; the feathers of the head are loose 

 and duMy. and in consequence it looks much larger than it 

 reall) is. As they are, with few exceptions, nocturnal in their 

 habits. Nature has provided them with specialized eyes, highly 

 de\ eloped ears to catch the slighte .t sound, and soft feathers to 

 ensure a noiseless tiight. Some arc adorned witli tufts of 

 feathers on the head that look like horns or ears; but these 

 are of no importance in determining Orders or species. There 

 is a general uniformity in the plumage of owds ; none are 

 highly coloured; browns, dull yellows and buffs, with white, 

 and occasionally black markings are the prevailing tints. The 

 iris of their abnormally large eyes is bright amber, which gives 

 them a malignant look. 



Owls are divided mtt) twcj distinct families, differing 

 from each other in the structure of the sternum or breast-- 

 bone Slriglnae, including the Screech Owd, and Bubonidac, 

 including the Tawny Owl of England; nearly all the species 

 in this Colony belong to the latter family which is further 

 distinguished by having a reversible outer toe, like that of the 

 Osprey. This, at will, it can turn right back as it generally 

 does in .perching. The Screech Owl is cosmopolitan, being 

 found in almost all countries of the world. It is the Barn- 

 Owl of England. The cry of owls is strange and weird; 

 sometimes a screecli, sometimes a wail as of someone in pain, 



