198 STRICT D/E. 



the specific distinctness or identity of the Barn-Owls of 

 China, India, the Cape Colony and other countries, which 

 have been described as differing more or less from that of 

 Europe. The Barn-Owls of the New World have been con- 

 sidered to form one or more separate species, but it is doubt- 

 ful whether this view can be justifiably maintained, for no 

 constant difference can be detected in a large series of speci- 

 mens from the two worlds. As the American bird to which 

 the name Strix pratincola has been assigned is said to be 

 distributed from Long Island on the east and the Columbia 

 River on the west coast, southward through Central America 

 and some of the greater Antilles to South America generally, 

 it follows that if it, and the other birds just referred to, be 

 really identical with our Barn- Owl, this species must have a 

 range little inferior to that of the Short-Eared Owl. 



In an old male the beak is almost white ; irides black ; 

 facial disk stained with rust-colour at the inner and lower 

 part of each eye, the margin of the disk defined by the 

 white feathers being tipped with brown ; top of the head 

 and the neck very pale buff, thinly spotted with black and 

 white ; back and wings darker buff speckled with grey, and 

 spotted with black and white ; upper surface of tail-feathers 

 pale buff, with five transverse grey bars ; all the under parts 

 pure white ; the toes dusky, the claws brown. The wings 

 reach beyond the end of the tail, and the edges of the wing 

 and tail-feathers have the appearance of being worn, the 

 fibres forming the web being of unequal length, and the 

 wings of these birds therefore, when moved in the air, make 

 very little or no noise. In some specimens, generally found 

 on dissection to be females or young males, the under 

 surface of the body is fawn-colour. The whole length of 

 the bird is about fourteen inches. 



A good deal of local variation is observable in this species, 

 and in particular Danish examples are very darkly coloured, 

 having the facial disk of a rusty-red. Mr. Stevenson has 

 recorded the occurrence in Norfolk of such a specimen, 

 which was probably an accidental visitor to this country of 

 foreign origin. 



