410 



BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



head and his knees to tremble for fear that a panther is prowling 

 in the neighborhood. When several get together their nocturnal 

 concerts are very entertaining. One appears to tell some joke or 

 do something funny, at which the rest set up a hearty though 

 demoniacal he-he-hc-he, hi-lii-hi-hi, ha-ha-ha-ha, — and the uncanny 

 company is boisterously hilarious for a few moments, when the 

 soUtude of night again reigns supreme. 



The Barred Owl is less strictly nocturnal than the Great Horned 

 Owl, Long-eared Owl, or Little Screech Owl, and may often be seen 

 flying about during dark or cloudy weather. In fact, its call may 

 often be heard in bright sunny days, and is then often the means 

 of the bird's destruction, as perhaps no bird is more easily lured 

 by a good imitation of its note, — and that of the present species is 

 susceptible of very exact imitation. 



Genus SCOTIAPTEX Swainson. 



Scotiaptex Swains. Classit. B. ii, 1837, 217. Type Strix cinerea Gmed. 



Gen. Chae. Size large, although the body is very small in proportion to the length 

 of the wing and tail. Head without ear-tutts. Six outer quills with inner webs emargi- 

 nated. Toes completely and densely covered by long hair-like feathers. 



Scotiaptex cinereum (Gmel.) 



GREAT GRAY OWL. 



Popular synonyms. Great Cinereous Owl; Great Sooty Owl; Spectral Owl. 



SIrix cinerea Gmel. S. N. i, pt. i, 1788,291.— Sw. & Rich. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 77, pi. 31.— Nhtt.' 



Man. i, 1832, 128.— Add. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838. 364, pi. 351.— CouES, 2d Check List, 1882. 



No. 474. 

 Ulula cinerea Bp. Consp. i. 1850, 53 (part).— Bidgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 399. 

 Syrnium cinereum Bp. 1838.— Aud. Synop. 1839, 26; B. Am. i, 1840, 130, pi. 35.— Cass in 



Baird'sB. N.Am. 1858,56.— Batrd, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 33.— CouES, Check List, 



1873, App. p. 131; B. N. W. 1874,307 (b. cinereum). 

 Syrnium lapponicum var. cinereum CouES, Key, 1872, 204; Check List, 1873, No. 322. 

 Syrnium (Scotiaptex) cinereum B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii,1874, 30. 



Hab. Northern North America, south, in winter, to northern United States, as far as 

 Massachusetts, Rhode Island, northern New York, northern Illinois, Minnesota, etc. ; 

 breeding as far south as Canada (''Oologist", v, 1880, p. 54). 



Sp. Chae. Adult. Ground-color of the upper surface dark vandyke-brown, but this 

 relieved by a transverse mottling (on the edges of the feathers) of white, the median 

 portions of the feathers being scarcely variegated, causing an appearance of indistinct 

 longitudinal dark stripes these most conspicuous on the scapulars and back. The an- 

 terior portions above are more regularly barred transversely ; the white bars interrupted 

 however.by the brown median stripe. On the rump and and upper tail-coverts the mot- 

 tling is more profuse, causing a grayish appearance. On the wing-coverts the outer webs 



