CHAPTER XI 

 THE OWLS AND OSPREYS ORDERS STRIGES AND PANDIONES 



THE well-known and peculiar physiognomy characterizing most of the owls 

 renders the group as readily distinguishable as that of the parrots. This character- 

 istic "owl-face" is due, firstly, to the forward direction of the eyes; and, secondly, 

 to a circular disc of radiating feathers, more or less distinctly developed round each 

 eye, and which may be bounded by a ruff of closely-set feathers. In common with 

 many diurnal birds of prey, the owls have a short, stout beak, 

 of which the upper ridge is strongly curved, and the tip 

 deflected in a perpendicular direction; at its base is a cere, 

 usually covered with stiff bristles concealing the nostrils. The 

 feet are furnished with strong, curved, and sharp claws, and 

 have the fourth toe reversible. The metatarsus, or canon 

 bone, although longer than in the parrots, is comparatively 

 short and wide, with the upper part of its front surface deeply 

 excavated, and usually furnished with a bony bridge over the 

 outer part of the hollow; at its lower end the three pulley-like 

 trochlese, when viewed from below, are arranged in an arch. 

 In the tibia, or leg bone, there is no bony bridge at the lower 

 end, as in most parrots. The short skull has no well-marked 

 hinge at the root of the beak; the palate is of the bridged, or 

 desmognathous type; and the lower mandible has a short and 

 shallow symphysis, and its angle is not produced behind the 

 surface for articulation with the quadrate bone. The oil gland 

 THE RIGHT CANON is present, but naked. 



BONK, OR METATAR- The foregoing characteristics, especially those of the toes 



sus, OP THE SNOWY and leg bones, serve to distinguish the owls from the parrots 



owi,.* on the one hand, and the diurnal birds of prey on the other; 



but the two are very closely connected in these respects by the 



ospreys. In addition to the features noticed, owls, as a rule, are characterized by 



the large size and dense feathering of their heads, the softness and nuffiness of the 



whole plumage, and their big, round eyes; the feet being usually feathered down to 



the toes. The ears are usually of large size, and are often protected by an opercu- 



lum or lid; from which we may infer that the sense of hearing in these birds is 



highly developed. Many owls are furnished with tufts or crests of feathers above 



the eyes, popularly known as horns or ears, but more properly termed ear tufts. 



The coloration is usually a mottled blending of various sombre tints; bright colors 



*The bridge over the hollow at the upper end Is imperfect. 

 (1904) 



