LONG-EARED OWL. ior 
and mottled towards their base with darker, tawny, or brown, 
and clouded with reddish grey, and brown at the tips: the 
second feather is the longest, the first and fourth equal, 
the third about half an inch shorter. Secondaries and tertiaries, 
barred more finely with tawny and dull black, and mottled; 
larger and lesser under wing coverts, light brownish yellow, 
with a spot of black at the base of the primaries. Tail, barred 
and speckled irregularly on the middle feathers, and decidedly 
on the outer with dusky and cinereous brown, yellowish or 
reddish orange, or dull white. It is square m shape, rather 
short, and composed of twelve broad rounded feathers; under- 
neath greyish white, crossed with narrow bars of dusky brown. 
Under tail coverts, light brown, verging to white; legs, feathered 
with light brown or buff feathers. Toes, the same, except the 
ends of the two front ones, the third and fourth connected ai 
the base by a short web; the first 1s capable of extended side- 
motion, the third is the longest, the second and fourth nearly 
equal. Claws, dull black, inclining to pink at the base, they 
are rather long, much curved, and sharp. 
Female; length, one foot two to one foot four inches; the 
wreath is lighter, and the back has more greyish white than 
in the male: the older the birds the more grey. The wings 
expand to the width of from three feet two to three feet four 
inches. 
The young are at first covered with white down, which next 
turns to yellowish, with which brown becomes gradually 
interspersed. At first the bars on the wings and tail are more 
distinct, and the streaks broader and darker, as indeed is the 
whole plumage than in the adult birds. 
