STRIGIDiE — THE OWLS. 



19 



and wings (only), ochraceous beneath the surface, lower scapulars with a few obsolete 

 spots of white on lower webs. Primary coverts dusky, with transverse series of dark 

 mottled grayish spots, these becoming somewhat ochraceous basally ; ground-color of the 

 primaries grayish, this especially prevalent on the inner quills ; tlie basal third (or less) 

 of all are ochraceous, this decreasing in extent on inner feathers; the grayish tint is 

 everywhere finely mottled transversely with dusky, but the ochraceous is plain ; primaries 

 crossed by a series of about seven quadrate blackish-brown spots, these anteriorly about 

 as wide as the intervening yellowish or mottled grayish ; the interval between the 

 primary coverts to the first of these spots is about .80 to 1.00 inch on the fourth quill, — 

 the spots on the inner and outer feathers approaching the coverts, or even underlying 

 them; the inner primaries — or, in foct, the general exposed grayish surface — has much 

 narrower bars of dusky. Grround-color of the wings like the back, this growing paler on 

 the outer feathers, and becoming ochraceous basally; the tip approaching whitish; secon- 

 daries crossed by nine or ten narrow bands of dusky. 



Ear-tufts, with the lateral portion of each web, ochraceous ; this becoming white, some- 

 what variegated with black, toward the end of 

 the inner webs, on which the ochraceous is 

 broadest ; medial portion clear, unvariegated 

 black. Forehead and post-auricular disk 

 minutely speckled with blackish and white ; 

 facial circle continuous brownish-black, be- 

 coming broken into a variegated collar across 

 the throat. " Eyebrows " and lores grayish- 

 white ; eye surrounded with blackish, this 

 broadest anteriorly above and below, the pos- 

 terior half being like the ear-coverts. Face 

 plain ochraceous; chin and upper part of the 

 throat immaculate white. Ground-color below 

 pale ochraceous, the exposed surface of the 

 feathers, however, white ; breast with broad 



longitudinal blotches of clear dark brown, these medial, on the feathers ; sides and flanks, 

 each feather with a medial stripe, crossed by as broad, or broader, transverse bars, of 

 blackish-brown ; abdomen, tibial plumes, and legs plain ochraceous, becoming nearly 

 white on the lower part of tarsus and on the toes ; tibial plumes with a few sagittate marks 

 of brownish ; lower tail-coverts each having a medial sagittate mark of dusky, this con- 

 tinuing along the shaft, forking toward the base. Lining of the wing plain pale ochra- 

 ceous ; inner primary coverts blackish-brown, forming a conspicuous spot. 



g (51,227, Carlisle, Penn. ; S. F. Baird). Wing formula, 2, 3 - 1, 4, etc. Wing, 11.50 ; 

 tail, 6.20; culmen, .65; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe, 1.15. 



9 (2,.362, Professor Baird's collection, Carlisle, Penn.). Wing formula, 2,3-4-1. 

 Wing, 12.00; tail, 6.00; culmen, .05; tarsus, 1.25; middle toe, 1.15. 



Young (49,568, Sacramento, Cal., June 21, 1867 ; Clarence King, Robert Ridgway). 

 Wings and tail as in the adult ; other portions transversely banded with blackish-brown 

 and grayish-white, the latter prevailing anteriorly ; eyebrows and loral bristles entirely 

 black ; legs white. 



Hab. Whole of temperate North America ? Tobago? (Jardine). 



Locahties: Tobago (Jardine, Ann. Mag. 18, 116); Arizona (Coues, P. A. N. S. 

 1866, 50). 



The American Long-eared Owl is quite different in coloration from the 

 Ohts vulgaris of Europe. In the latter, ochraceous prevails over the whole 

 surface, even above, where the transverse dusky mottling does not approach 



Otus wilsonianus. 



