ACCIPITRES. 22D 



Str. nyctea, L.; Le Harfang, Enl. -l.'iS; Wils. IV. xxxii. 1; 

 Naum. 41. (The Snowy Owl). This bird almost equals the Grand 

 Due in size. Its snow-white plumage is marked with transverse 

 brown spots, which disappear in proportion to its age. It inhabits 

 the north of both continents, builds upon high rocks, and pursues 

 Hares, Grouse, &c.* 

 There are some species much smaller, such as 



Str. tengmalmi, Gm. ; Str. dasypus, Bechst. ; Naum. 48, f. 2 



and 3. Back brown, sprinkled with white spots; underneath paler, 



with larger white spots ; four white lines across the tail ; lives in the 



woods. The Str. passerina, Meyer and Wolf, is its female. 



The greater number, however, of these small species have only a few 



scattered hairs on the toes, such as 



Str. passerina, Gm. ; Str. pygmcea, Bechst. Enl. 439 ; Naum. 

 48, 1. Somewhat smaller than the preceding, but with nearly the 

 same plumage. The tail a little shorter, and with five larger pale 

 bars ; it often builds in old walls. There are several closely allied 

 species in America, the Indies, &c.-|- 

 Some of these naked-toed Noctuse are nearly as large as the Hulotte. 

 Cayenne produces several beautiful species, and particularly the three fol- 

 lowing: — 



Str. cayennensis, Gm. ; Enl. 442. A fawn-coloured ground, 

 irregularly, transversely, and finely striped with brown. 



Str. lineata, Sh. ; the Huhul, Vaill. Afr. XLI ; Str. lineata, Sh. ; 

 Str. alhomarginata, Spix, X. a. Transversely striped with white on 

 a black ground ; four white lines on the tail. So little does it fear 

 the light, that it is styled the Day Chouette. The size of these two 

 species is that of the common chouette of France. 



Str. torquata, Daud. ; Vaill. Afr. XLII. Brown above ; whitish 



beneath ; circumference of the eyes and a band on the breast, brown ; 



the throat and eye-brows white. It is larger than the Sfr. aluco, L., 



and is the Nacurutu without tufts of Azzara. 



There are others again in America, whose tarsi are naked as well as 



their toes, as the Cheveche nudipede for instance — Str. nudipes, Daud. 



Vieill. Amer. XVI. Finally, we have 



Scops, Savigny. 



Which, in addition to the prominent ears, imperfect disk and naked 

 toes of the preceding, have tufts similar to those of the Bubo and Otus. 

 There is one of them in France, Str. scops, Enl. 436; Naum. 



* The Chouette blanche, Vaill. Afric. 45, is only an old Harfang. The alleged 

 difference in the proportions depends upon the stuffing. 



t Str. brama, T. Col. C8, which scarcely differs from the passerina. — Sir. Sonnerati, 

 T. Col. 1. — Str. urucurea, Id. of which the Str.grallaria, Id. Col. 136, is the female. — 

 Str. castanoptera, Hoff. or Str. spadicea, Reinw. Col. 98. — Str. pumila, Illig., or ca- 

 boure of Azz. Col. 39, of which the Str. passerinoides, Col. 344, is probably the male. 

 —Str.ferruginea, Pr. Max. Col. 199.— 5<r. hirsuta, T. Col. 289.— 5^r. occipitalis.— 

 The Str. maugei, Col. 46, is already tolerably large. 



