STKTGIDyE — Tin; OWLS. 7 



111 tlieiv di.-;tribulinn, the Owls, as a IV.mily, aro oosiiidjvplitan, ami most of 

 thu goiicra arc found on IjolIi licinisplicii's. All tlic iioitliciii .mMicra (Xi/ffru, 

 f'-ltiDiiu, Xi/ii(ilc, inid ,S(v/ [((/iter), and llu! majority of tlicir species, air cir- 

 cnmiioLir. The ;j;ciuis GlKHriillma is most lai'.L,'cly (levclo])ed witliin the 

 Iropii's, and lias iiimicrous species in liotii hcmisphen's, (>//'.s linir/ii/nfiin 

 and Sli'Lc jlanuina are the only two species wiiicii are found ail over the 

 world, — the former, however, I'cin,!^- apparently alisent in Australia, (ii/iniio- 

 jhiiu; Sjirofi/fo, jlfirnil/icnr, ,\i\d Lnji/id-sfri.r are aiioul tile only wtdl-character- 

 izeil genera peculiar to America, ^tf/irnr, Kiliipn, and J'/ioi/i/n-s are jieciiliar 

 to tlie Old World. Tlio ap])roxiinate numlx'r of known species (see (iray's 

 Hand List of IJirds, 1, IHliU) is alxuit two hundred, of whicii two, as stated, 

 are cosmopolitan; si.x others {Siiniia ulnht, Xjirtia scKnillnni, (ll(ii(cidiu)ii 

 ints)icri/u(in, Si/riu'inn rinorKni, O/if-i ru/f/drts, and \i/rfit/r triit/nuiliiti) are 

 found in Imlli halves of tiie Xorthern Hemispliere ; oT tiie remainder there 

 aro ahuut an e(iual numlx'r peculiar to America and the Old World. 



As regards the distriliutioii of the Owls in the Xearctic Healm, a promi- 

 nent feature is the munl)er of the s])ecies (eighteen, not including races) 

 lielonging to it, of whicdi six {Mirrathinc ii-luint'ni; Xi/rfn/i' analiiii, Si/rniinn 

 iithiildsiiiii, *S'. un ii/cii/ii/c, Snjjis Haiti, and S.jlciitmco/n) are found nowhere else. 

 HiHvljilo funiiahiria and liuho riiyinuouts are peculiarly Anieriean species 

 found lioth north and south of the eciuator, liut in the two regions represented 

 liy different geograjjliical races, fi'/diirii/iiiiii fcmii/lnrinji and (i. iii/iisriifinn 

 (\ar. ijiioiiitt) are tropical species which overreach tiie l)ounds of tiie Neo- 

 tropical Jiealm, — the former extending into the United States, the hitter 

 reaching to, and iirohahlv also witidii, our borders. Of the eiuhteeu North 

 American sjiecies, alimit nine, or one half (Sfri.r Jlinmiicit var. jiratiitni/d, 

 Ofn'i lir((ch 1/0/ 11-1, 0. ni/i/iiris var. I'-ilwiiidniix, Surnlinn rinnrinn, Xi/rfa/c 

 ((€(((/ li:i(, HiiliQ ririjiuMiniis, and >!(ii/is (/.s/o, with certainty, and Xi/rt<'(( 

 moidiKni var. iirc/ira, and ,'^iiritiii idiihi var. Itinhonia., in all prol)al)ility), 

 are I'ound entirely across the continent. Xi/rfa/c fciit/iiutlmi, var. yic/Kin/Mnii, 

 and Si/niiinii inliii/dsinn, appear to he ]ieculiar to the eastern jMntion, — tlie 

 former to the nortlieni regions, the latter to the southern. Allinir rinilrii/iiria 

 var. Iii/j>i'ijm«,Micr(t//ii lie ir/iifnci/l, (IIkiicoUioii /iKascriiu'iii var. ci'lifiiriuvinii, 

 ,'^i/ntiinn uiridcnliilv, and SfOjui/ldmnurtfn, arc ex(dusively western, all helong- 

 ing to the smitliern porlion of the ^liddle I'roviiice and llocky Mountain 

 region, and the adjacent parts of ]\Iexico, excepting the more generally dis- 

 tributed ,Sy;t(V///() ntntfuhd-ic, \ar. /ii/iiKi/aa, before mentioned. Anomalies in 

 regard to the di,stribution of some of the sjiecies common to both continents, 

 are the restriction of Die American represenhitive of (llduriilinm jxn^Kcrininn 

 to the westei'n regions,^ and ui' I'^/rix JfdiniiWd to the very .southern and 



* Tliis cnse of tlic restriction of tlic .\Miciic;iii iipivMMl;ilivi> of a iMiiiipiiin or 'Wi'sti'rn Palio- 

 nvilii' Kpi'iics to till- western lialf of tlie <'ontinent lias iiaiallel instances anion,!,' otlur liirils. 

 'Ih^' .\iuiiiean fonn of Fiilrohnnirins (vai. /luhiiifiriix), of t'ornis nirc.r (var. riiniinini.s), Piiu 

 oiuihili: (var. Iii(i!.ii)iiii't ami var. iiitllnlli) and \il\l-';iiii/iti.'< rnidi'iiiii^ {viyr. iiimsiis), are eitiier 



