STRIGID.E — THE OWLS. 



39 



Nyctale acadica. 



Genus N7CTALE, Bueiim. 



Ktjctale, niiEllM, 18'J8. (Typo, Slrir tcngmalmi, OMni..) 



Gkk. CnAH. Sizo small. Head very larfrc, without car-tufts. Eyps niodorato; iris 

 yoUow. Two ijntur piiiiiarifs only with their inner webs distinctly emarfrinated. Tarsi and 

 toes densely, InU closely, leathered. 

 Kar-conch very lar<,'e, nearly as 

 jiiirli as the skull, with an anterior 

 operculum ; the two cars excecd- 

 inprly asyninietrical, not only ex- 

 ternally, lint in their ostcolog;ical 

 structure. Kurcula not anchylosed 

 posteriorly, Init joined by a mem- 

 brane. 



Of tliLs jj;eniis only three 

 species are as yet known ; 

 two of these belong to the 

 Northern Ileniisphere, one of 

 them (-V. (cnijma/mi") being 

 circunipolar, the other {X. 

 acadica) peculiar to North 

 America. The habitat of the 

 remaining s])ecies (-.V. Jutrrisi) 

 is unknown, but is supposed to lie South America. If it 'oe really from that 

 portion of the New World, it was probably obtained in a mountainous region. 



Species and Baces. 



CoMMOK CiiAn.vcTKRs. Abovc limber, or chocolate, brown, spotted with white 

 (more or less uniform in the )'oun{r) ; beneath white with lonfritudinal stripes of 

 reddi.sh-brown (adult), or ochraccons without markings (yoiinnf). 



A« Nostril sunken, elongate-oval, obliquelj' vertical, opcnino: laterally ; cere 

 not inflatcil. Tail considerably more than half the winn;. Bill yellow. 



1. N. tengmalmi. Winjr, 7.20 ; tail, 4.50; eulnien, .GO; tar.sus, 1.00; 

 middle toe, .0" (average). 



Legs white, almost, or rpiite, unspotted : lower tail-coverts with 

 narrow shaft-streaks of brown. (Light tints generally pre(lominat- 

 ing.) Ilab. Northern portions of Pahearclic Realm . var. tengmalmi.' 

 Legs ochraceous, thickly spotted with brown ; lower tail-coverts 

 with broad medial stripes of brown. (Dark tints gcnerall}' pre- 

 dominating.) Hub. Northern portions of Nearctic Realm. 



var. richn rdson i, 



1 Xijclah icngmahai, var. Iiiigmahni. S/rix tcngnwlmi, G.mei,. S. N. p. 291, 1789 (ct ArcT. 

 viir.). Xyclalc t., DoN.vr. ct Aucr. Xoctim t., t!uv. et ArcT. Athene t.. Wow., i'lula t., 

 BnxAi'. ot ArcT. Scotophilm t.. Swains. fltn,c (lasijpii^. Bixiisr. (1791) ot Aucr. Nyctak d., 

 Okay. Siriv jmsseriiui, A. Mkyeu, 1794. — Pai.i.as. Xi/ctale. phtuiccps, ISr.KllM, 1831. X. 

 jn'iffonaii, ]!r.i:iiM, 1831. X. nhicliim, Br.KiiM, 1831. A\ fuiicrca, BoSAr. 1842 (not of 

 Lixx., 1701, which is Suriiia ulula). " N. kirtlandi," Elliot, Ibis, II, Jan., 1872, p. 48 (not 

 of Hoy !). 



