Birds. 311 
collar towards lower part of neck above. Length of male 
eleven inches. 
Young.—Upper parts dark brown, feathers bordered with 
rufous ; tail blackish, with five narrow brown-red bands; the 
bands of primary quill feathers rufous white. 
Inhabits Egypt, Porto Rico, and Europe. 
Falco esalon. Linn. Le Rochier, Buff. Ois. 
Fam. STRIGIDA. Vigors——Owts. 
Bill straight at base, curved towards the point; cere mem- 
branous covered with stiff hair or setaceous feathers ; sides of 
upper mandible a little dilated towards edges, the lower mandi- 
ble shorter than the upper, truncated and notched at point ; 
nostrils rounded, oblique, entirely open or covered by the seta- 
ceous feathers of the cere; tarsi mostly feathered, when not 
feathered, reticulated ; the anterior toes nearly equal, the ex- 
ternal versatile, moderately robust ; claws strong and retractile. 
Tail generally moderate, even, rarely elongated and graduated. 
Genus SurnitA. Dumeril. 
Head rounded without enlarged conch or egrets; tarsi and toes 
feathered to the claws ; tail long, graduated. 
Surnia choucou. Base of bill surrounded by fine feathers 
resembling hairs ; upper part of head, back of neck, intersca- 
pulars, and wing coverts, reddish grey-brown; the latter va- 
riegated with white spots ; wing feathers tipt with white. Tail 
composed of twelve feathers, the two centre ones grey-brown 
like the wings, the rest grey-brown, the outer vanes banded 
with pure white, the inner vanes pure white without bands. 
Throat and under parts pure white; the feathers of the legs 
very long ; insides of shoulders white. Bill small, and like the 
claws black; eyes bright orange. Length eight inches and a 
half ; figure slender. Wings when folded reach to the middle 
of the tail. 
Inhabits South Africa,—towards the Knysna. 
Strix choucou, Lath. Le Choucou, Le Vaill. Ois. d’Afrig. 
pl. 38. 
Surnia nisuella. Plumage above brown, of different tints, 
passing insensibly from the deepest to the lightest shades, or 
even in some to white; throat with a sort of collaret or white 
blotch. Breast, and under parts of body, of the same colour 
as the back, but disposed in somewhat regular transverse bars, 
lightest towards the legs; the latter covered with fine silky 
grey-white feathers. Tail beneath banded brown-black and 
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