498 ALUCO 



(Audubon), B. of Am. pi. 171 ; (Blanf.), F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iii. 

 p. 264 ; (Saunders), p. 291 ; (Lilford), i. p. 109, pi. 51 ; S. pratincola, 

 Bp. Comp. List. p. 7 (1838) ; Ridgway, p. 255 ; S. javanica, Gmel. 

 Syst. Nat. i. p. 295 (1788) ; S. perlata, Licht. Verz. Doub. p. 59 

 (1823) ; S. furcata, Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 432 (1827) ; S. delicatula 

 Gould, P.Z.S. 1836, p. 140 ; S.pinctatissima Gray in Darwin's Zool. 

 Beagle, Birds, p. 34, pi. 4 (1841); S. poensis, Fraser, P.Z.S. 1842, 

 p. 189 ; S. africana, Bp. Rev. and Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 540 ; S. 

 indica, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 250 ; S. affinis Layard, B. of S. Afr. 

 p. 42 (1867) ; S. insularis, Pelz. J. f. 0. 1872, p. 23. 



Efraye commune, French ; Cor-uja das torres, Portug. ; 

 Lechuza, Span. ; Barbagianni, Ital. ; Schleiereule, German ; 

 Kerkuil, Dutch ; Perlugle, Dan. ; Tomuggla, Swed. ; Sepoocha, 

 Russ. ; Youka, Moorish ; Bdfa, Arab. ; 'Kuraya, Hindu, ; Ghubdd, 

 Mahr. 



ad. Upper parts orange buff, vermiculated with grey and spotted 

 with dark grey and white ; quills and tail barred with blackish grey ; 

 facial disk silvery white, the space immediately round the eye dull 

 rufescent ; ruff white tipped with orange and blackish grey ; under parts 

 white, more or less spotted with blackish grey ; bill ivory white ; iris blue- 

 black. Culmen 1*3, wing 11 '2. tail 4*8, tarsus 2 '4 inch. Female similar 

 but larger. Throughout its range there is besides the above white form a 

 dark form in which the upper parts are much darker and greyer, and the 

 under parts vary from pale orange-buff to rich dark tawny. 



Hob. Europe generally, from Denmark to the Mediter- 

 ranean, and from the Azores, Canaries, and Madeira to the 

 extreme east, but is very rare in Sweden and not found in 

 Finland. Subject to climatic variation, it is found throughout 

 Africa and Madagascar, the Indo-Malayan, Australian, Poly- 

 nesian, Nearctic (except in the more northern portions) and 

 Neotropical areas; in Asia it does not appear to occur in 

 Mongolia, E. Siberia, or Japan. 



In its habits the Barn Owl is strictly nocturnal, and unless 

 disturbed it does not leave its retreat during daylight. The note 

 is a loud, harsh, weird shriek, and both the old and the young 

 birds utter a deep snoring sound. Its food consists of rats, mice, 

 moles, large insects, small birds, occasionally also of fish, but 

 chiefly of mice. This Owl nests in hollow trees, towers, churches, 

 barns, and dovecotes, not making any nest, and in April or May 

 deposits 4 to 6, occasionally 7 white eggs, more elongated in 

 shape than those of the other Owls, rather dull and glossless, 

 averaging about 1'55 by 1*21. 



THE 



UNIVERSITY 



