84 MANUAL 



Although we have styled our family AluconidvE, and our 

 genus Aluco, it is the same as Professor Baird has styled, 



" Sub-family STRIGIN^. — Typical Owls. 

 Size medium, uever very large. Head large ; facial disc 

 perfect; bill rather long ; eyes rather small for this family- 

 [Strigid.e, The Owls] legs rather long, fully feathered to the 

 toes. Strix, Linn. 



Head large, without ear tufts ; eyes rather small ; facial 



disc perfect, and very conspicuous ; wings long ; tarsi long ; 



tail rather short ; toes and claws rather long. This genus 



contains about twelve species from all parts of the world. 



Strix pratincola, Bonaparte 



The Barn Owl." 



Our present writers agree in making Aluco the name of the 

 genera. 



FAMILY XXIX STRIGIDAE OWLS IN GEN- 



ERAL 



Latin strix, Greek strigx, "a screech owl." 

 This family has been characterized very fully under the Or- 

 der and Sub-order Raptores. It is a family not easily mis- 

 taken under any circumstances. The main difference between 

 the Strigidce and the Aluconidce is principally an anatomical 

 one : The universal characteristics of the Owls remain the 

 same, outwardly, with very little difference. I have given 

 Professor Baird's characters for Aluco, but as he has treated it 

 as a sub-family under a general heading of " Family Strig- 

 IDJE," his family characters must necessarily include charac- 

 ters which will answer equally well for both our Aluconidse 

 and our Strigidse. This might prevent our using his Family 

 Strigidfe characters for our Family Strigidoe characters. And 

 yet, as may be seen from above, the real difference is very 

 slight and chiefly an anatomical one. So, as a purely technical 

 matter, we find ourselves in a real quandry for a proper diag- 

 nosis for our present Family. Many writers make no sub- 



