54 



U. S. p. R R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



brownish black, fulvous, and ashy^ white ; the former predominating. Breast pale fulvous, with longitudinal stripes of brownish 

 black ; abdomen white ; every feather with a wide longitudinal stripe, and with transverse stripes of brownish black ; legs and 

 toes pale fulvous, usually unspotted, but frequently with irregular narrow transverse stripes of dark brown. Eye nearly 

 encircled with black ; other feathers of the face ashy white, with minute lines of black ; car tufts brownish black, edg-ed with 

 fulvous and asliy white ; quills pale fulvous at their bases, with irregular transverse bands of brown ; inferior coverts of the 

 wing pale fulvous, frequently nearly white ; the larger widely tipped with black ; tail brown, with several irregular trans- 

 verse bands of ashy fulvous, which are mottled, as on the quills ; bill and claws dark ; iridea yellow. 



Total length, female, about fifteen inches ; wing 11 to 11^ ; tail 6 inches. Male, rather smaller. 



Hab. — The whole of temperate North America. Spec, in Nat. Mus., Washington, and Mus. Acad., Philada. 



One of the most numerous of the owls of the Atlantic States, and not much less so on the 

 Pacific. It bears a strong resemblance to the European Otus vulgaris, with which it has been 

 considered identical by some American authors. We find nothing unusual in the specimens of 

 the present collection, all being quite identical with the well known bird of the eastern States. 



List of specimens. 



BRACHYOTUS, Gould. 



Brachyotus, Godld, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1837, p. 10. 



Ear tufts very short and inconspicuous. General form rather strong ; wings long ; tail moderate ; legs rather long, which, 

 with the toes, are fully covered with short feathers ; claws long, very sharp, and rather slender. Head moderate ; eyes rather 

 small, surrounded by radiating feathers ; facial disc imperfect on the forehead and above the eyes ; tail moderate. 



This genus contains four or five species only, the two best known of which are the European 

 Brachyotus palustris and the succeeding. 



BKACHYOTUS CASSINII, Brewer. 



The Short Eared Owl. 



Brachyotus Cassinii, Brewer, Proc. Boston Soc. N, H, 



Strix brachijolus, Forster, Phil. Trans. London, LXII, p. 384, (1772,) 



Brachijotus jtalustris amcricanus, Bonap, Consp. Av. p. 51, (1849.) 



Figures.— Wilson Am. Cm. IV, pi. 33, fig. 3 ; Aud B. of Am. pi. 410 : Oct. ed. I, pi .38 ; Nat. Hist. New York, Birds, 

 pi, 12, fig. 27. 



