STK1GIDJ5 — THE OWLS. 43 



Nyctale acadica, Bonap. 



SAW- WHET OWL; WHITE-FRONTED OWL; KIRTLAND'S OWL. 



Strix acadica, Gmel. Sy.st. Nat. p. 296, 1789. — Uaud. Tr. Oin. II, 206, 1800. — Vieill. 

 Ois. Am. Sept. I, 49, 1807. — Aud. Birds Am. pi. cxcix, 1831 ; Orn. Biog. V, 397. — 

 EicH. & Swains. F. B. A. II, 97, 1831. — Bonap. Ann. Lye. N. Y. l\, pp. 38, 436 ; 

 Isi.s, 1832, p. 1140. —Jard. (Wils.) Am. Orn. II, 66. — Nau.m. Nat. Vog. Deutschl." 

 (ed. Nov. ) L 434, pi. xliii, iigs. 1 & 2. — Peab. Birds Mass. p. 90. — Nutt. Man. p. 

 137, 1833. Nyctale acadica, BoNAP. List, p. 7, 1838; Consp. Av. p. 44. — Gray, 

 Gen. B. fol. App. p. 3, 1844. — Kaup, Monog. Strig. Cont. Orn. 1852, p. 104. — Ib. 

 Tr. Zool. Soe. IV, 1859, 206. — Strickl. Orn. Syn. I, 176, 1855. — Newb. P. R. R. 

 Kept. VI, 77, 1857. — Cas.s. Birds N. Am. 1858, 58. — Coop. & Suck. P. R. R. Rept. 

 XIl, II, 156, 1860. — CoiTEs, Prod. B. Ariz. 14, 1866. — Gray, Hand List, I, 1869, 

 51. — Lord, Pr. R. A. I. IV, in (Brit. ' Coin mb.). — Ridgway, Am. Nat. VI, May, 

 1872, 285. — COUE.S, Key, 1872, 206. — Gray, Hand List, I, 51, 1869. Scotophihis 

 acadicus, S^VA1NS. Classit'. Birds II, 217, 1837. Strix passcrina, Penn. Aret. Zool. 

 p. 236, sp. 126, 1785. — FoRST. Phil. Traiisl. LXII, 385. —Wils. Am. Orn. pi. xxxiv, 

 f. 1, 1808. Hilda pctsserina, James. (Wils.), Am. Orn. I, 159, 1831. Strix acadiensis. 

 Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 65, 1790. S. aJhifrons, Shaw, Nat. Misc. V, pi. clxxi, 1794 ; 

 Zool. VII, 238, 1809. — L.'i.TH. Orn. Supp. p. 14. Bitho albifrons, Vieill. Ois. Am. 

 Sept. I, 54, 1807. Scops cdhifrons, Steph. Zool. XIII, ii, 51. Nyctale albifrons, 

 Cass. Birds Cal. & Tex. 187, 1854. — Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 54. — Ca.ss. Birds N. Am. 

 1858, 57. — Gray, Hand List, I, 52, 1869. Strix frontalis, Light. Abh. Ak. Berl. 

 1838, 430. Nyctale kirilandi. Hoy, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. VI, 210, 1852. S. x>ha- 

 lanoiclcs, Daud. Tr. Orn. II, 206, 1800. —Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp. p. 16, 1802; Syn. 

 Supp. II, 66 ; Gen. Hi.st. I, 372, 1828. Athene phalamoidcs. Gray, Gen. B. fol. sp. 43, 

 1844. Athene wilsoni, BoiE, Isis, 1828, 315. 



Sp. Char. Adult (9,120,044, Washington, D C, Feb., 1859 ; C. Drexler). Upper 

 surface plain soft reddish-olive, almost exactly as in N. richardsoni ; forehead, anterior 

 part of the crown, and the facial circle, with each feather with a short medial line of white ; 

 feathers of the neck white beneath the surface, formino: a collar of blotches : lower webs 

 of scapulars white bordered with brown ; wing-coverts with a few rounded white spots; 

 alula with tlie outer feathers broadly edged with white. Primary coverts and secondaries 

 perfectly plain ; five outer primaries with semi-rounded white spots on the outer webs, 

 these decreasing toward the ends of the feathers, leaving but about four series well 

 defined. Tail crossed Avith three widely separated narrow bands of white, formed of 

 spots not touching the shaft on eitlier web ; the last band is terminal. " Eyelirow " and 

 sides of the throat white ; lores with a blackish suffusion, this more concentrated around 

 the eye ; face dirty white, feathers indistinctly edged with brownish, causing an obsoletely 

 streaked appearance ; the facial circle in its extension across tlie throat is converted into 

 reddish-umber spots. Lower parts, generally, silky-white, becoming fine ochraceous on 

 the tibiai and tarsi ; sides of the breast like the back, but of a more reddish or burnt- 

 sienna tint ; sides and flanks with longitudinal daubs of the same ; jugulum, abdomen, 

 lower tail-coverts, tarsi, and tibite, immaculate. Wing formula, 4-3^5-1^8. Wing, 

 5.40 ; tail, 2.80 ; culmen, .50 ; tarsus, .80 ; middle toe, .60. 



Seven specimens before me vary from, wing, 5.25 to 5.80; tail, 2.60 to 3.00 (9)- Tlie 

 largest specimen is 12,053 ( 9 , Fort Tejon, California ; J. Xantus). This differs from the 

 specimen described in whiter face, more conspicuous white streaks on forehead, smaller, less 

 numerous, red spots below, and in having a fourth white band on the tail ; this, hoAvever, 

 is very inconspicuous. 32,301 (Moose Factor}^; J. McKenzie), 9,152 (Fort Vancouver, 

 February; Dr. J. G. Cooper), and 11,793 (Simiahmoo, October; Dr. C. B. Kennerly) are 



