ASIO. 257 



/'. Tarsus longer than middle toe, scantily haired; tail less 

 than half as long as wing, even. 



Micropallas. (Page 26G.) 



i'. Tarsus more than twice as long as middle toe, and about hull' as long as tail. 



(AYing 6.15-7.50) Speotyto. (Page 265.) 



Genus ASIO IIkisson. (Page 256, pi. LXXIV., figs. 2, 3.) 

 Species. 



rt'. Ear-tufts very conspicuous ; upper parts finely mottled or vermiculated with 

 dusk}-, bufty, and grayish white, the first predominating; lower parts butfy. 

 overlaid, more or less continuously, with whitish, and marked with ragged, 

 or "herring-bone," stripes of dusky. (Subgenus Asio.) 

 b\ Ends of all the quills normal; toes feathered ; face ochraceous. 



c'. Dusky of upper parts disposed in broad stripes, contrasting more or less 

 conspicuously with the paler ground-color; lower parts ochraceous, 

 conspicuously striped, but not distinctly barred, with dusky. (Size 

 of il. wilsonianus.) Hah. Northern parts of eastern hemisphere. 



A. otus (Linn.). Long-eared Owl.' 

 c". Dusky of upper parts in form of confused mottling, not contrasting con- 

 spicuously with the paler ground-color ; lower parts whitish (ochra- 

 ceous beneath surface), marked with irregular dusky bars which are 

 much broader than the mesial streaks with which they are conflu- 

 ent ; length 13.00-16.00, wing 11.50-12.00, tail 6.00-6.20, eulmen .65, 

 tarsus 1.20-1.25. Nest, usually the deserted one of a crow, heron, 

 magpie, or other bird of similar size. Eggs 3-7, 1.57 X 1-27, ovate 

 or ovoid. Hah. Whole of temperate Xorth America, south to table- 

 lands of Mexico. 



366. A. wilsonianus (Less.). American Long^-eared Owl. 

 6'. Ends of longer quills narrow, that of the first almost falcate; toes naked; 

 face dusky or with dull grayish prevailing. 



Above dusky, slightly broken bj- sparse mottling of yellowish white; 

 lower pai'ts grayish white, coarsely barred and irregularly striped 

 with dusk}-; wing about 13.00, tail 6. SO. eulmen .90, tarsus 1.53. 

 Hab. Eastern tropical America, north to eastern Mexico and Cuba. 



A. stygius Waol. Stygian Owl.' 

 a'. Ear-tufts rudimentary; color (above and below) ochraceous or buffy whitish, 

 fitriped. but not barred, with dark brown. (.Subgenus Brachyotus Gould.) 

 Adult : Ground-color varying (individually) from bright tawny ochraceous 

 to buffy white, this relieved by conspicuous stripes of dark brown, those 

 of the lower parts growing gradually narrower posteriori}-, and dis- 

 appearing altogether on legs and lower tail-covei'ts ; wings irregularly 



• Sirix ol<u Lins., S. N. ed. 10, i. 1758, 92. A-io ntu, Lesw., Man. d'Om. i. 1S2S, 116. 

 ' Xyelalopi tti/giut Waol,, lais, 1S32, 1221. Atiu tti/i/iut Strickl., Orn. Syn. i. 1S55, 207. 



33 



