THE BARN-OWLS. IOQ 



entirely white ; face pure white, with a patch of rufous in front 

 of the eye ; feathers of the ruff glistening white, those on the 

 upper-part washed with orange, the lower feathers sub-termin- 

 ally orange with a tiny apical margin of blackish, rather more 

 distinct on the gular portion of the ruff; rest of under surface 

 of body pure white, as well as the thighs and under tail- 

 coverts ; under wing-coverts also white, the lower primary 

 coverts greyish, like the lower surface of the quills, which are 

 greyish-white underneath ; bill nearly white ; claws brown ; iris 

 black. Total length, 13 inches; wing, 11-9; tail, 5-0; tarsus, 



2'2. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male. Total length, 13 inches : 

 wing, iro. 



The above description refers to the ordinary Barn -Owl as it 

 is usually seen in England ; but on the continent of Europe a 

 darker form occurs, remarkable for its dark grey upper surface, 

 whereon very few of the lighter markings and spots are dis- 

 cernible, while the under surface is also deep orange, with 

 numerous " arrow-head "-shaped spots of dusky-brown. This 

 dark form is occasionally found in Great Britain, but very 

 rarely, and these individuals may be visitors from the Conti- 



1 nent, perhaps from Schleswig, where only the dark phase of 

 the Barn-Owl is met with. Mr. De Winton recently pre- 

 sented to the British Museum a pair of birds from Workum 

 in Friesland, which proved to be a male and female of the 



: dark-phased Barn-Owl, showing that the difference between 

 the light and dark forms is not dependent on age or sex, as 

 indeed is known from both males and females of our British 

 bird being white-breasted. 



Nestling. Covered with pure white down, the face slightly 

 rufescent. 



Range in Great Britain. The Barn-Owl is found all over Great 

 Britain, and breeds in all the counties of England and 

 sparingly also in every county of Ireland. In Scotland, too, 

 it is found nesting in small numbers as far north as Caith- 

 i ness and in the Inner Hebrides, but in decreasing numbers 

 beyond the Lowlands. 



Range outside the British Islands. As already stated, the Barn- 

 Owl is nearly cosmopolitan, but it does not range very far 



