62 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Bubo virginianus, vaf. virginianus, Bonap. 



GREAT HORNED OWL. 



Asio bubo virginianus, Bkiss. Oni. I, 484, 17, 1760. Strix virginiana, Gmel. Syst. Nat. 

 I, 287, 1788. —Lath. Ind. Orii. p. 52; Syu. I, 119; Supp. I, 40; Gen. Hist. I, 

 304. — Daud. Tr. Orn. II, 210, pi. xiii. — Wils. Am. Om. pi. 1, f. 1. — Bonap. 

 Ann. Lye. N. Y. II, 37 and 435 ; Isis, 1832, p. 1139. — AuD. Birds Am. pi. Ixi, 1831 ; 

 Orn. Biog. I, 313. — Thomp.s. Nat. Hist. Vermont, pi. Ixv. — Peab. Birds Mass. p. 87. 

 Bubo virginianus, Bonap. List, p. 6, 1838; Consp. Av. p. 48. — Jard. (Wil.s.) Am. 

 Orn. II, p. 257. — De Kay, Zool. N. Y. II, 24, pi. x, f. 2. — Nutt. Man. Orn. p. 124. — 

 Max. Cab. Jour. 1853, VI, 23. — Kaup, Tr. Zobl. Soe. IV, 1859, 241. — Coue.s, Key, 

 1872, 202. Bubo virginianus atlanticus, Ca.ssin, Birds of Cal. & Tex. I, 178, 1854. — 

 Birds N. Am. 1858, 49 (under 5. virginianus). Otus virginianus, Steph. ZooI. XIII, ii, 

 57, 1836. U I ula virginiana, James. (Wils.), Am. Orn. I, 100, 1831. Strix virginiana, 

 a. Lath. Gen. Hist. I, 306, 1821. Strix bubo, 8, Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 52, 1790.— 

 Shaw, Zobl. VII, 215. Strix maximus, Bart. Trav. Carol, p. 285, 1792. Bubo ludo- 

 vicianus, Daud. Tr. Orn. 11,210, 1800. Bubo ^nnicola, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. pi. xix, 

 1807 ; Enc. Meth. p. 1282. 



Sp. Char. Adult $ (12,057, Philadelphia; C. Drexler). Bases of all the feathers 

 yellowish-rufous, this partially exposed on the head above and nape, along the scapulars, 

 on the rump, and sides of the breast. On the upper surface this is overlaid by a ratlier 

 coarse transverse mottling of brownish-black upon a white ground, the former rather 

 predominating, particularly on the head and neck, where it forms broad ragged longitu- 

 dinal stripes (almost obliterating the transverse bars), becoming prevalent, or blended, 

 anteriorly. The lower feathers of the scapulars, and some of the lower feathers of the 

 middle and secondary wing-coverts, with inconspicuous transverse spots of white. On 

 the secondaries the mottling is finer, giving a grayish aspect, and crossed with eight 



sharply defined, but incon- 

 ^ spicuous, bands of mottled 



dusky; primary coverts with 

 the ground-color very dark, 

 and crossed with three or four 

 bands of plain blackish, the 

 last terminal, though fainter 

 than the rest; ground-color of 

 the primaries more yellowish, 

 the motthng more delicate ; 

 they are crossed by nine ti-ans- 

 verse series of quadrate dusky 

 spots. The ground-color of 

 the tail .is pale ochraceous 

 (transversely mottled with 

 dusky), becoming white at the 

 tip, crossed by seven bands 

 of mottled blackish, these 

 about equalling the light bands 

 in width ; on the middle feath- 

 ers the bands are broken and 

 confused, running obliquely, or, in places, longitudinally. Outer Avebs of ear-tufts pure 

 black ; inner webs almost wholly ochraceous ; eyebrows and lores white, the feathers 

 with black shafts; face dingy rufous; eye very narrowly encircled with whitish; a 



Bubo virginianus. 



