TUFTED-OWL. 401 



terior operculum in its whole length, and a broad mem- 

 branous margin behind, both beset with recurved fea- 

 thers. The aperture of the meatus is elliptical, in the 

 lower part of the conch. 



Head very large, short, very broad behind, some- 

 what triangular, flattened and sloping above, the sides 

 flattish and sioj^ing forwards ; neck short, slender, but 

 seeming extremely thick on account of the great mass 

 of feathers ; body short, slender, deeper than broad, 

 much compressed behind. Legs short, moderately 

 stout; tibiae proportionally long, but muscular; tarsi 

 short, and with the toes covered with feathers having 

 disunited barbs ; two scutella at the end of the toes, of 

 which the first is very short and admitting of much la- 

 teral motion, the fourth next in length, the third long- 

 est, and much longer than the second ; claws slender, 

 long, curved, tapering, extremely acute, rounded above, 

 compressed, the sides convex, the lower surface of the 

 first rounded, of the middle one obliquely flattened with 

 a dilated inner edge, of the rest narrow and slightly 

 grooved. 



Plumage extremely soft, full. Facial disks very 

 large, complete, their feathers with loose barbs; the 

 ruff^ complete. Bill partially concealed by bristly fea- 

 thers. There is a tuft of elongated feathers on each 

 side of the head over the eye. The feathers in gene- 

 ral are oblong and rounded, those of the abdomen 

 downy, of the legs with soft disunited barbs. Wings 

 very long and broad, rounded ; primary quills broad 

 and rounded, the second longest, the first about the 

 length of the fourth, the first slightly cut out on the 



