292 HISTORY OF THE 



and with the certainty of a rifle. In a few moments he emerges, 

 bearing in his claws his struggling prey, which he always car- 

 ries head foremost, and, having risen a few feet above the sur- 

 face, shakes himself as a water spaniel would do, and directs 

 his heavy, laborious course directly for the land." 



Their nests are placed in the tops of trees along the banks 

 and old channels of the rivers; are huge structures, made of 

 large sticks interwoven with cornstalks and weeds, and lined 

 with grasses. Eggs two to four, 2.50x1.75; buff white, spotted 

 and blotched with umber and reddish brown running together, 

 thickest at larger end; also a few markings of lilac; in form, 

 elliptical. 



SUBORDER STRIGES. OWLS. 



Eyes directed forward, surrounded by disks of radiating feathers; cere con- 

 cealed by loral and frontal, bristle-like feathers; outer toe reversible. (Ridgway.) 



FAMILY STRIGID-2E. BAKN OWLS. 



Inner toe as long as middle toe; inner edge of middle claw pectinated; feath- 

 ers on hinder part of tarsus recurved or pointed upward; first quill longer thau 

 third, none of the quills with inner webs sinuated or emargiuated. (Ridgway.) 



GENUS STRIX LINNAEUS. 



"Size medium. No ear tufts; facial ruff entirely continuous, very couspicu- 

 ous. Wing very long, the first or second quills longest, and all without emar- 

 gination. Tail short, emarginated. Bill elongated, compressed, regularly curved; 

 top of the cere nearly equal to the culmen, straight and somewhat depressed. 

 Nostril open, oval, nearly horizontal. Eyes very small. Tarsus nearly twice as 

 long as the middle toe, densely clothed with soft, short feathers, those on the 

 posterior face inclined upwards; toes scantily bristled; claws extremely sharp 

 and long, the middle one with its inner edge pectinated. Ear conch nearly as 

 long as the height of the head, with an anterior operculum, which does not ex- 

 tend its full length." 



Strix pratincola BONAP. 



AMERICAN BARN OWL. 

 PLATE XIX. 



Resident; quite common in the southern part of the State. 

 Begin laying in April. 



B. 47. R. 394. C. 461. G. 181, 137. IT. 365. 



HABITAT. The United States generally; rare in northern por- 

 tion; southward through Mexico. 



