STEIGID^ — THE OWLS. 



23 



N. Y. II, 28, pi. xii, f. 27, 1844. Brachyotus palust7-is atiuricanus, BoxAr. Consp. 

 Av. p. 51, 1849. Bradiijotus cassini. Brewer, Pr. Boston Soe. N. H. — Newb. 

 P. R. Rep't, VI, IV, 76. — Heekm. do. Vll, 34, 1857. — Cassin (in Kaird) Birds N. 

 Am. 1858,. 54. —Coop. & Suckl. P. R. Rep't, XII, ii, 155, 1860. — Coues, P. A. 

 N. S. (Prod. Orn. Ariz.) 1866, 14. — Gray, Hand List, I, 51, 1869. Brccchyotus 

 galopagucnsis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, 10. Otus ga/opagocnsis, Darw. Zool. Beag. pt. 

 iii, p. 32, pi. iii. — Gray, Gen. fol. sp. 3 ; List Birds Brit. Mus. 108. — Bonap. 

 Consp. 51. Asia galojmgoensis, Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 1855, 211. 



Sp. Char. Adult. Ground-color of the head, neck, back, scapular.';, rump, and lower 

 parts, pale ochraceous ; each feather (except on the rump) with a medial longitudinal 

 stripe of blackish-brown, — these broadest on the scapulars ; on the back, nape, occiput, and 

 jugulura, the two colors about equal ; on the lower parts, the stripes grow narrower pos- 

 teriorly, those on the abdomen and sides being in the form of narrow lines. The flanks, 

 legs, anal region, and lower tail-coverts are always perfectly immaculate ; the legs most 

 deeply ochraceous, the lower tail-coverts nearly 

 pure w'hite. The rump has obsolete crescentic 

 marks of brownish. The wings are variegated 

 with the general dusky and ochraceous tints, but 

 the markings are more irregular ; the yellowish 

 in form of indentations or confluent spots, .ip- 

 proaching the shafts from the edge, — broadest 

 on the outer webs. Secondaries crossed by 

 about five bands of ochraceous, the last terminal; 

 primary coverts plain blackish-brown, with one 

 or two poorly defined transverse series of ochra- 

 ceous spots on the basal portion. Primaries 

 ochraceous on the basal two-thirds, the terminal 

 portion clear dark brown, the tips (broadly) 

 pale brownish-yellowish, this becoming obsolete on the longest; the dusky extends 

 toward the bases, in three to five irregularly transverse series of quadrate spots on the 

 outer webs, leaving, however, a large basal area of plain ochraceous, — this some- 

 what more whitish anteriorly. The ground-color of the tail is ochraceous, — this be- 

 coming whitish exteriorly and terminally, — crossed by five broad bands (about equal- 

 ling the ochraceous, but becoming narrower toward outer feathers) of blackish-brown ; on 

 the middle feathers, the ochraceous spots enclose smaller, central transverse spots of 

 blackish ; the terminal ochraceous band is broadest. 



Eyebrows, lores, chin, and throat soiled white, the loral bristles with black shafts; 

 face dingy ochraceous-white, feathers with darker shafts; eye broadly encircled with 



black. Post-orbital circle mi- 

 nutely speckled with pale ochra- 

 ceous and blackish, except im- 

 mediately behind the ear, where 

 for about an inch it is uniform 

 dusky. 



Lining of the wing immaculate 

 delicate yellowish- white; ter- 

 minal half of under primary 

 coverts clear blackish-brown ; 

 otus brachyotus. ^^^^^^ ^^^^.^^^^ ^^ primaries plain 



delicate ochraceous-white ; ends, and one or two very broad anterior bands, dusk}'. 



$ (906, Carlisle, Penn.). Wing-formula, 2-1,3. Wing, 11.80; tail, 5.80; culmen, 

 60; tarsus, 1.75; middle toe, 1.20. 



Otus hrnrhyotus. 



