STRIGlDiE — THE OWLS. 49 



AVinfr, G.20-G.r)0; tail, ;?.3"j - 3.50. Jfah. Southern Miil- 

 dle I'loviiicc, ami Smitlieni Clalifuniia ; Cape St. Lucas. 



' var. mitccalli. 

 •I. S. nammeola. Toes iicilectly naked, the featlieiinpf of the taisiis ter- 

 niiuatinu' alniiptly at the lower joint. Wing, 5.40 ; tail, 2.80 ; eulnien, .:!5 ; 

 tarsus. .!I0 ; uiiddle toe, .5."). Ear-tiil'ts .«hort, or rudimentary. Facial circle 

 rusty. Outer webs of the scapulars rusty-ochraceous, in strikin;^' contrast 

 to the grayish of the wings and back. Other markings and colors much as 

 in aai'K Jfab. Mountain regions of Mexico and California, from Guatemala 

 to Fort Crook, >;orlhern California. 



Scops asio, T)OXAP. 



LITTLE BED OWL; MOTTLED OWL; "SCREECH-OWL" 



XiKtiiK Kiiritn minor, Catesby, Carol. 1, 1754, 7, pi. vii. Asia scops carol ineitsis, Uuiss. Orii. 

 I, 1700, 497. .SfrU nsin, I.INX. Syst. Nat. 17r)8, 92. — Gmel. S. N. 1789, 2S7. — 

 L.vril. Iiul. Orn. 1790, 54. — In. Syn. I, 123. — lii. Supp. 1, 42 ; Gen. Hist. I, 314. — 

 DAfD. Tr. Orn. 11, 1800, 210.-Sll.\w, Zoiil. VII, 1S09, 229. — Temm. PI. Col. 80. 

 — WiLS. .Viii. (Irn. 1808, \t]. xlii, f. 1. — .Taisd. (cd. Wils.) Orn. I, 1831, 307. — lioxAP. 

 ,\nn. X. Y. I.yc. II, .30. — In. Isis, 1832, 1139. — ArmiioN-, IHnl.s X. A. 1831, pi. 

 xivii. — In. Orn. liiog. I, 48fj. — Bkeweu (imI. Wii.s.) Orn. 1852, p. 087. — lions. Nat. 

 185.'>, 1<>9. nnlioasio, Xiv.u.l. Ois. Am., .«.-pt., 1807, 53, pl. .\xi. — GliiAri), Birds Long 

 Island, 1844, 28. — Max. Cab. J. VI, 1858, 23. Otiis asio, Stephens, Zoiil. XIII, i)t. 

 ii, 1815, 57. Scops nsio, UoNAr. List, 1838, 6. — Less. Tr. Orn. 107. — I'Ass. Birds 

 V:A. & Tex. 1854, 179. — I n. Birds N. Am. 1858, fl. — Kaui', Monog. Strig. Cent. Orn. 

 1.S52, 112. — .Stiucki.. Orn. Syn. 1, 185.5, 199. — IIeeum. V. R. Ucpt. II, 1855, 3.5.— 

 Coop. & SrcKi,. I'. H. Kept. 155. — Mayxaiid, Birds Kastern Mass., 1870, 131. — 

 CoUE.s, Key, 1872, 202. — GliAY, Hand List, I, 18G9, 4G. EjihinUcs asio, GiiAY, 

 Gen. n. f<d. 1844, sp. 9. — In. List Birds Brit. JIiis. 1844, \\ 96. — Woonii. 1853, 62. 

 Strix iiccvia, Gmei-. S. N. 1789, 289. — Lath. Ind. Orn. 1790, p. 55. — In. Syn. I, 

 126; Gen. Hist. I, 321.— Dai D. Tr. Orn. II, 1800, 217. — Shaw, Zoiil. VII, 1809, 

 230. — \Vii.s. Am. Orn. 1808, pi. xix, f. 1. Asio iierrid. Less. Man Orn. I, 1828, 117. 

 Ohis nuL-ins, i'vv. lii'g. An. (od. 2), I, 1829, 341. Sitrnia iKvvin., Jmieh. (nd. Wils.), 

 Orn., 1831, I, 96 & 99. 



a. Xormal j^l'inicfie. 



Sp. Char. Adult. round-color above brownish-cinereous, palest on the head, purest 

 ashy on the wings, minutely mottled v itli line zigzag transver.se bars of black, each 

 feather witii a medial ragged strii)e of the same almig the .sliaO. Inn(>r webs of ear-tufts, 

 outer webs of scapulars, and oval spots occupying most of tiie outvr webs of the two or 

 three lower fealiiers of the middle and .secondary wing-covcrts, white, forming Cexcept on 

 the first) conspicuous spots, those of the scapulars liordcred with l)lack. Secondaries 

 cros.sed with about seven regular paler bands, each enclosing a more irregular dusky one; 

 the ground-color, however, is .so mettled with grayish, and the pale bands with dusky, 

 that they art- by no means sharply defineil or conspicuous, tlmugh they are very regular; 

 alula and primary coverts nore .sliari)l3' barred with Jreari-colnred spots, those on the 

 former nearly white; primaries witii liroad (piadrato spots of creamy-white on outer wclis, 

 the.se forming from seven ((J) to eight (9) transverse bands, the last of which is not 

 terminal. Tail more irregularly mottlecl than the wings, and cro.ssed by seven ((J) to 

 eight (9) narrow, obscdete, but continuous, jiale bands. 



Eyebrows white, the feathers bordered with dusky (most broadly so in ^); cheeks, 

 ear-covert.s, and lower throat dull white, with transverse bars of blackish (most numerous 



vol,. III. 7 



