COMMON WOOD-OWL. 369 



hind them. The eyes are very large, slightly mobile, 

 oblique, the upper eyelid very large, both with a thin 

 bare papillate margin, which is discontinued at the two 

 canthi. The conch of the ear is very large, of an irre- 

 gular elliptical form, extending from the base of the 

 lower jaw to near the top of the head, with an ante- 

 rior semicircular operculum stretching along its whole 

 length, and an elevated margin behind; this margin 

 and the operculum are beset with recurved feathers, 

 which are much shorter on the lower and posterior 

 part. The bottom of the concha is formed of the bones 

 of the skull and a portion of the eye, covered with 

 skin ; the meatus externus is elliptical, sunk in the 

 lower part of an oblong depression, extending from the 

 lower part of the conch to half its height. The conch 

 is an inch and one-twelfth long, the depression seven- 

 twelfths long and two and a half broad, the meatus 

 two-twelfths and three-fourths long. The tongue is 

 small, seven-twelfths long, sagittate and papillate at 

 the base, concave above, horny beneath in its free part, 

 emarginate. 



The general form having been already described, it is 

 only necessary here to mention that the toes have each 

 two large scutella at the end, and that the claws are 

 much curved, tapering to a fine point, narrow beneath, 

 that of the third toe broad, with an outer sharp edge, 

 and an inner thin dilated margin. 



Tlie plumage is extremely soft, full and elastic. The 

 facial disks are complete, and composed of radiating 

 feathers with disunited barbs. The ruif is also com- 

 plete, and composed of several series of narrow re- 

 curved rather compact feathers. The feathers in ge- 



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