STRIGIC'E — THE OWLS. 65 



Bubo virginianus, var. pacificus, Cass. 



Bubo virginianus pacificus, Cassin, Birds N. Am. 1858, 49. Buho virginianus, -v^iv. pacifi- 

 cus, CouES, Key, 1872,- 202. B^iho virginianus, Coop. & Suckley, P. R. Rept. XII, 

 II, 1860, 154. — Lord, Pr. R. A. S. IV, III (British Columbia). ?Dall& Bannister, 

 Tr. Chicago Ac. I, 1869, 272 (Alaska). — ?FrNscH, Abh. Nat. Ill, 26 (Alaska). 



Sp. Char. The opposite extreme from var. arcticus. The black shades predominating 

 and the white mottling replaced by pale grayish ; the form of the mottling above is less 

 regularly transverse, being oblique or longitudinal, and more in blotches than in the 

 other styles. The primary coverts are plain black ; the primaries are mottled gray and 

 plain black. On the tail the mottling is very dark, the lighter markings on the middle 

 feathers being thrown into longitudinal splashes. Beneath, the black bars are nearly as 

 wide as the white, fully double their width in var. arcticus. The legs are always thickly 

 barred. The lining of the wings is heavily barred with black. Face dull grayish, barred 

 with dusky ; ear-tufts almost wholly black. 



$ (45,842, Sitka, Alaska, November, 186G ; Ferd. Bischoff ). Wing-formula, 3, 2 = 4 - 

 5 - 1, 6. Wing, 14.00 ; tail, 8.00 ; culmen, 1.10 ; tarsus, 2.05 ; middle toe, .95. 



Face with obscure bars of black ; ochraceous of the bases of the feathers is distinct. 

 There are seven black spots on the primaries, eight on the tail ; on the latter exceeding 

 the paler in width. 



9 (27,075, Yukon River, mouth Porcupine, April 16, 18G1 ; R. Kennicott). "Wing- 

 formula, 3, 2 = 4 - 5- 1, G. Wing, IG.OO ; tail, 9.80 ; culmen, 1.15 ; tarsus, 2.00. Eight 

 black spots on primaries, seven on tail. 



Hab. Pacific coast north of the Columbia ; Labrador. A northern littoral form. 



A specimen from Labrador (34,958, Fort Niscopec, H. Connolly) is an 

 extreme example of this well-marked variety. In this the rufous is entirely 

 absent, the plumage consisting wholly of brownish-black and white, the 

 former predominating ; the jugulum and the abdomen medially are con- 

 spicuously snowy-white ; tlie black bars beneath are broad, and towards the 

 end of each feather they become coalesced into a prevalent mottling, form- 

 ing a spotted appearance. 



Another (11,792, Simiahmoo, Dr. C. B. Kennerly) from Washington Ter- 

 ritory has the black even more prevalent than in the last, being almost 

 continuously uniform on the scapulars and lesser wing-coverts ; beneath the 

 black bars are much suffused. In this specimen the rufous tinge is present, 

 as it is in all except the Labrador skin. 



Habits. The Great Horned Owl has an extended distribution throughout 

 at least the whole of North America from ocean to ocean, and from Central 

 America to the Arctic regions. Throughout this widely extended area it 

 is everywhere more or less al^undant, except where it has been driven 

 out by the increase of population. In this wide distribution the species 

 naturally assumes varying forms and exhibits considerable diversities of 

 coloring. These are provided with distinctive names to mark the races, 

 but should all be regarded as belonging to one species, as they do not pre- 

 sent any distinctive variation in liabit. 



VOL. III. 9 



