37 



size from the Snowy Owls and Eagle-Owls of the high North, and 

 the Great Horned Owls, nearly two feet in length, of our own 

 country, to the little Pygmy and Elf Owls — scarcely larger than 

 a large Sparrow — of Arizona and tropical America. (See Cases C, 

 I, and Q. The common Screech Owl is shown in Group No. 37.) 



Order XX, the Fsiitaci, or the great Parrot group, is mainly 

 tropical in distribution, having numerous representatives in all the 

 tropical and semitropical regions of the world. They are mostly 

 birds of gaudy plumage, with striking contrasts of color. They 

 vary in size from the little Love-birds, not larger than a Sparrow, 

 to the great Macaws, more than three feet in length. They are 

 usually gregarious, often roaming in large flocks. While their 

 voices are naturally harsh and discordant, many of the species 

 display great imitative powers, readily learn to talk, and often 

 manifest great intelligence. About four hundred and fifty species 

 are recognized, which different authorities arrange in from three 

 to nine families. They perhaps fall most naturally into about 

 four, based wholly on anatomical characters. 



The Owl Parrots (family Strini^opida)^ of New Zealand (Case 

 R), are partly nocturnal in habits, and somewhat Owl-like in 

 appearance. Only two species are known, and one of these is 

 believed to be nearly extinct. They rarely fly, and through disuse 

 of the muscles of flight the keel of the sternum has become 

 obsolete. The Owl or Night Parrots thus depart widely from the 

 other members of the order. 



The Cockatoos (family Cacaiuidce) form also a well-marked 

 group, numbering about thirty species, confined to the Indian 

 Archipelago, the Papuan Islands, and Australia. They are mostly 

 of large size, with large open crests, which are usually flame- 

 colored, or of some shade of yellow or red, while the general 

 plumage is often white (see Case R). Some of the species, 

 however, are brown, and one of the largest of all is black. 



The family FaheornithidcE is a large group of strictly Old World 

 Parrots and Parrakeets, which includes the groups called Lories, 

 Lorikeets, Grass-Parrakeets, and Love-birds. They range from 

 Africa and Madagascar through India, the Indian Archipelago, 

 and the Papuan Islands to Australia and New Zealand. They 



