214 OWLS. 



this reason feed more largely on small mammals — most of which are 

 nocturnal — than the diurnal birds of prey. They are therefore of 

 even greater value to the agriculturist than Hawks. 



Their prey is captured with their talons, and, unless too large, is 

 swallowed entire. The bones and hair are afterward ejected at the 

 mouth in matted pellets. 



Owls' eyes are so fixed in their sockets that they can not look from 

 one point to another by simply " rolling " the eyeball, but are obliged 

 to turn their head. The weird, almost human, voices of Owls add not 

 a little to the superstitious fear with which they are frequently re- 

 garded. The eggs of Owls are uniformly white, unmarked. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



I. Wing over 10-00. 

 A. Belly without bars, striped longitudinally. 



a. Upper parts with cross-bars. 



«!. Toes feathered 368. Barred Owl. 



a^. Toes bare 368tt. Florida Barred Owl. 



b. Upper parts striped longitudinally .... 367. Short-eared Owl. 

 £. Belly with cross-bars. 



a. With conspicuous horns or cars. 



«!. Wing over 13*00 375. Great Horned Owl and races. 



a2. Wing under 13*00 366. Am. Long-eared Owl. 



b. Without horns or ears. 



b^. Plumage white, more or less barred with black. 376, Snowy Owl. 

 b\ Plumage fuscous, mottled and barred with whitish. 



370. Great Gray Owl. 

 Q. Wing under 10-00. 



A. Toes heavily feathered. 



a. Wing more than 6*00. 



«i. Tail more than 6*00 377a. Am. Hawk Owl. 



o2. Tail less than 6*00 371. Richardson's Owl. 



b. Wing less than 6*00 372. Saw-whet Owl. 



B. Toes thinly, if at all, feathered. 



a. Tarsi heavily feathered ; with conspicuous horns. 



373. Screech Owl. 373(/. Florida Screech Owl. 



b. Tarsi partly bare ; no horns . . . 378a. Florida Burrowing Owl. 



366. Asio -wilsonia/nus (Less.). American Long-eared Owl. Ad. 

 — Ear-tufts conspicuous, an inch or more in length, black bordered by white 

 and buffy ; upper parts fuscous-brown mottled with white, the bases of the 

 feathers ochraceous-buff ; tail with six to eight fuscous cross-bars; facial disk 

 buffy bordered by black ; under parts mixed white and ochraceous-buff, the 

 breast broadly streaked, the sides and belly irregularly barred with fuscous; 

 eyes yellow. L., 14*80; W., 11*90; T., 6*00; B., 1*06. 



Ra)ige. — North America; breeds from Nova Scotia and Manitoba south- 

 ward to the Gulf States. 



