317 
mage buff, darker on the back, every feather with a stripe of dark brown; 
abdomen paler, the central dark stripe narrower; legs and tars buff; 
eyes surrounded by a spot of black; throat white; wing coverts and 
secondary quills brown, with buff and reddish spots, and a few bars of 
like color at the tips of the larger secondaries; primaries brown, with 
large round fulvous spots on the inner webs; on the inner side a few 
irregular dark brown bars, and a distinct dark spot on the small feathers 
that cover the base of the primary quills; tail pale fulvous, with five dark 
brown bars; under tail coverts white; length 15 inches. 
Specimens in the Museum of the Cleveland Academy of Natural Sci- 
ence, and likewise eggs, obtained at Chicago, Ill. 
Otus WILSONIANUS—JLesson—LONG-EARED OWL. 
Wilson’s Am. Orn., VIL, pl. 51, fig. 1; Aubudon’s Birds of Amer., oct. 
ed., L.,“pl. 37. 
This species, though nearly related to the preceding, differs considerably 
in habits. While the former prefers the open ground, in or near swamps 
or rivers, this is an inhabitant of the woods, from which it seldom ventures 
far. It is extremely abundant in the eastern States, on the seaboard, but 
is much scarcer west of the Alleghanies. In Ohio it occasionally occurs, 
and is in all likelihood a constant resident with us, and specimens are 
sometimes obtained, and it is, however, rather more plentiful than former- 
ly. According to various authors, its food consists of mice, rats and small 
birds; and in the summer, it is said to destroy great numbers of large 
beetles. Wilson says it generally selects the deserted nest of some other 
bird, in which to deposit its eggs—usually three or four in number—which 
are white and roundish, and about one and a half inches in length. 
For a long time this species was considered identical with the Otus vul- 
garis, of Kurope, and it is thus named in Audubon’s work, but is larger 
and of a darker color. The ear-tufts are long and very conspicuous, dif- 
fering widely in this respect from the brachyotus. The wings are long, and 
legs and feet densely feathered. The plumage of the adult is mottled in 
the upper parts with dark brown, fulvous and ashy-white, with the dark 
hue preponderating; throat white. The breast is pale yellowish-white, 
with each feather marked with a wide dark-brown stripe. The abdomen 
is white, with like markings, and transverse stripes of dark brown. The 
legs and feet are of the same color as the breast, but usually with spots. 
