STRIQID.S. 



STRIGID.E. 



Gtacr*. 



Ario. 



Ifyctra. 

 Xyctiprta. 

 ~ . 

 Sl 



Strigida The Owl*. 



1. Typical Group. Ear* Urge, opercuUted, no egreti 



S. Sabtypical Ears (mailer, no operculum, egrets . 

 Ear* tmall, DO egret* or operculum, 

 duo imperfect 



8. Aberrant. Head (mall, claws feathered, tail (hort 



Head large, clam naked, tail moderate 



Head (mall, clam feathered, tail 



wedged ...... 



Mr. O. R. Gray make* the Accipitret .Vodami the second sub-order 

 of hjj first order AceipUra. His third family, the first of that sub- 

 order, is formed of the Ftriyitltr, which are thus subdivided by him : 



Sub-Family 1. Surnina. 



Genera. .Surma, Dum. (Symia, Steph., Strix, Om.); Accaba, Wsgl. 

 (Sunsio, CUT., Stris, Shaw); JVycteo, Steph. (.\oclua, CUT., Nyctia, 

 Sw.) ; Atlene, Boie (Nyctiptttt, Sw., Strix, Daud.) ; Huhua, Hodgs. 



Sub-Family 2. Bubonina. 



Genera, &opt, SaT., (.Scop*, SaT., Ario, Briss., 0<m, Less., ttrir, 

 Linn.); Lophottrix, Lea*., Kctup*, Less. (CWtrunpuu, Hodgs., Sfrur, 

 Om.) ; *, Sibb. (Ftlitept, Barr., ^it'o, Antiq., IVufa, Bonap., Ildiap- 

 te.r, Sw., Jtco/aj/Aiu, J. Geoff., Sfrvr, Linn.). 



Sub-Family 3. Ululina. 



Genera. Symiuin, SaT. (Seotiaptex, Sw., t'/u/o, Briss., Sd-ur, Linn.) ; 

 0fu, Ray (Atio, Brist., Brackyotut, Gould, Strix, Lion.) ; Urrua, Hodgs. ; 

 Kyctalopt, Wagl. ; I//H/O, CUT. (Strix, Gm.) ; (jJouctdium, Boie (Strir, 

 Linn., ffoctua, CUT., Athene, Boie); Kyctale, Brebm (Scotophil tu, Sw., 

 Kudiptttet and PtUipedet, Less., 6YKr, Bechst, ^((An<!, Boie); Miww, 

 Hodgson. 



Sub-Family i.Strigina. 



Genera. Strix, Linn. ; .PAoJuiw, J. Qeott (Strix, Horsf.); Bvlaca, 

 Hodgson. 



The geographical distribution of this family is Tory wide ; extending 

 a* high as the Polar Sea, where Strix Kyctea is recorded by Sabiue as 

 having been seen on the islands in the summer months, and by James 

 Rosa as having been observed about Victoria Harbour throughout 

 the winter, where seTeral pain had bred in the preceding autumn ; 

 and aa low at least as Port Famine in the Straits of Magellan (Strix 

 rtLjiprt and & nana, Ac,, King). Species are found in Europe, Asia, 

 Africa, America, and in Australia. 



They feed on birds and quadrupeds, and even fish (in the case of 

 Strir nfctea and & jlamnua), according to the size of the species. 

 Hares, partridges, grouse, and even the turkey, are attacked by the 

 larger horned owls of Euro)* and America ; while mice, shrews, small 

 birds, snakes, and crabs suffice for the inferior strength of the smaller 

 StriyiJtr. Mr. Yarrell states that the Short- Eared Owl (Strix brachy- 

 olui) is the only bird of prey in which he ever found the remain) of 

 bat 



The specie* are numerous, and the British Museum contains a very 

 fine collection of them. Our limits will not permit us to do more thau 

 notice a very few. The larger horned owls are described in the article 

 BCBO. 



titrix Jamaica, the common White or Barn-Owl, is the Kllraie, 

 Premie, and Petit Cbathuant PlomM of the French; Barbagianni, 

 Alloco Commune e Bianco of tho Italians ; Schleirrkauz, 1'erlachlier- 

 kautz, and I'erl-Eule of the Germans ; De Kerkuil of the Netherlands ; 

 Barn-Owl.White Owl, Church-Owl, Gillibowlut, Howlet, Madge-Howlet, 

 Madge-Owl, HUsing-Owl, and Screeoh-Owl of the English ; and Dylluan 

 Wen of the Welsh. The upper paits are bright yellowish, varied with 

 gray and brown zig-zag lines, and sprinkli-d with a multitude of small 

 whituh dots ; face and throat white ; lower part* in some individuals 

 rnsty-wbitr, sprinkled with email brown dots ; in others bright white, 

 marked with small brownish points; in others again without tho 

 lightest appearance of spots; feet and toe* covered with a very short 

 down, more scanty on the toes : iris yellow. Length about 13 inches. 

 In the female all the tint* are brighter, and more developed. The 

 young are covered with a thick white down, and remain long in the 

 nwt Mr. Blyth states that the first set of feathers grows very slowly, 

 and is not moulted till the second autumn. 



Varieties Whitish, or entirely white. 



This bird is common in Kuglund and Ireland, less common in Scot- 

 hud. Not common in the Orkneys, but present in some of the islands. 

 Found in Denmark, but said not to inhabit Sweden or Norway ; gene- 

 rally spread over temperate Europe ; found in Madeira ; common in 

 Lorraine; extruding in Africa from the north to the Cape of Good 

 Hope; met with in India, Japan, and Aimtralia, 



Montagu cars that this species is never known to hoot, Mr. 

 Yarrell (Ute* that it screech. ., but does not generally hoot. Sir W. 

 Jardine declane that he shot one in the act of hooting; and that at 

 night, when not alarmed, hooting is their general cry. It snore* and 

 hissM, and, like other owls when annoyed or frightened, (nap* it* bill 

 loudly. RaU, mice, shrews, young birds, and b. ctln., form their food, 

 and the mice especially suffer when the White Owl ha* a young brood 

 to sustain. It ha* been seen to catch fish. Thta owl frequent* 



churches, old buildings, and barns, often breeding in the Utter, a* 

 well aa in hollow trees, near farmyard* and Tillage*. The nest is bat 

 a rough one, and the female lays three or four white eggs more oval 

 than those of the Brown or Ivy-Owl, and not so large. Young have 

 been found so Ute a* Julv, September, and even December. Mr. 

 Blytb, in the ' Field Naturalist's Magazine ' (vol. L), throws some light 

 upon this. " A nest of the Barn-Owl hut summer," says be, " in this 

 neighbourhood (Tooting), contained two egga, and when these were 

 hatched two more were hud, which ktter were probably hatched by 

 the warmth of the young birds ; a third Uying took place, after the 

 Utter were hatched, and the nest at last contained six young owls of 

 three different age*, which were all reared." Mr. Yarrell states that 

 he baa been frequently told by boys in the country, that they had 

 found eggs and young birds at the same time in thin bird's nest. The 

 food is generally swallowed whole, and the bones and fur or feathers 

 rejected in pellets called outings, as indeed is generally the case with 

 this family. 



In oaptiTity the Barn-Owl is sociable with other birds, but will 

 sometimes, like the dogs, hide what remains of its meat. 



Barn-Owl (Stris /annum). 



Surma Uralenitt, tbo Ural Owl, is the Strijr I'ralauii of Pallas ; 

 S. liturata, Retz ; >S. macroura, Natterer; 5. macrocephala, Mcisuer ; 

 La Chouette des MonU-Uralu, Sonnini ; Die Ural Habichtseule, 

 Bechstein ; Habichtseule, Naumann ; Uraliacher und Grosskopliger 

 Baumkautz, Brchni. 



The face is whitish ; tail much graduated, much longer than the 

 wings ; all the plumage striped with large longitudinal spots and 



Old of both Sexes. The head is of considerable size ; face very 

 large, well feathered, grayish-white, marked with some blackish hairs ; 

 a large circle of whito feathers spotted with brownish-black, take* it* 

 origin on the forehead, and frames in the whola face ; top of the head, 

 nape, back, and wing coverts, marked with great longitudinal spot*, 

 which are disposed on a whitish ground ; throat, front of the neck, 

 and all the lower parts whiti-h, marked on thu middle of each feather 

 with a largo longitudinal brown stripe ; quilla and tail-feathers banded 

 with brown and dirty white alternately ; seven of these bands may 

 be counted on the tail ; beak yellow, nearly hidden in the long hnirs 

 of the face; iris brown; tan-i and toe* covered with white hairs 

 marked with *uiall brown points ; claws very long, yellowish. Length 

 of tail 10 inches snd some lines ; total length shout 2 feet. 



Young of the Year. All the ground-colour of the plumage bright 

 brownish-gray ; the spots and stripes on all the lower parts ashy- 

 brown; upper parts irregularly spotted with oahy-brown and light 

 red, and variegated with oval white spots ; wings and tail transversely 

 banded with grey, the si-ven bands of tho tail whitish-ash. 



It is found in the arctic regions of the Old World, Lapland, North 

 of Sweden, Norway and Russia, Livonia and Hungary, and Japan. 

 Very rare in the eastern part* of Germany ; vrry accidentally found 

 eluewhere. Mr. Gould regards it as one of the rarest European 

 Owls. 



It eats leveret*, cats, mice, ptarmigan, and small birds. The nest 

 is formed in the holes of trees, often near the habitations of man. 

 Mr. Gould states that the number of eggs is two ; M. Temminck says 

 three or four : they are pure white. 



