STKIGID.K — THE OWLS. 91 



Sp. Chah. Aihdf. Above fiirlh-Inown, the whole .surfaco covoroil with i;uiuerou3 

 spots of (hill vliiu., — tlio.so on the scupiiiiuN lomidish, niul in piiii's (on hotii webs) ; of 

 siniilnr form, liiii hiv^rv and inoic siiarsi', on the win^s. Anteriorly tliey lieeoiiie inoro 

 lon^'itnilinal (nearly linear), anil medial ; on llie rump and upper tail-eoverts, they are 

 nearly olisolele. Seeondaries crossed by fonr distinel bands of dull white, the lust termi- 

 nal ; jirimaries wilh live to six transverse series of semi-ronnded spots of oehraeeous- 

 white on their outer welis ; ]iriniary coverts with aliont three transverse series of whitish 

 spots. Tail with live to si.\ liands of dull white, or pale oehnieeous (the last tonninulj, 

 coMi|)osed of tr.nisverse oval spot.s, those on Ihe middle pair of feathers not touching 

 either the shall or the edjre. Ear-eoverts uniform brown, becoming- gradually paler 

 beneath tin; eye and on the cheeks; eyebrow.>J, a transverse chin-patch, — covering the 

 whole chin and jaw and reaching back beneath the- aurienlars, and another across the 

 jnguhnn, immacnlate cotlony-white ; .shafts of the loral bri.'^lle.s blackish ; a broad, well- 

 delined collar across the throat, between the white malar and jngnlar bands, deep brown, 

 mi.Ked with [lalcr spots. 



Benealii white with a faint ochraceous tinge, especially on the legs; the brca.st, abdo- 

 men, and .'iides with transver-xc .spots of lirown, this often predominating on the breast; 

 legs, au.d region, and eri.ssum, inunaculale. WhoU- lining of the wing immaculate 

 creamy-white, the primary coverts, however, with large terminal spots of dil.sky ; under 

 surface of the primaries gi-ayish- brown, deeper terminally, and with large, transversely 

 ovate spots of ochraceous-while (alxmt live in number on tin- longest quill), and growing 

 larger basally. 



i. Wing. f!.40-7.00; tail, 3.00 - .^..lO ; cidmcn, ..55 -.00; tarsn.s l.oO-l.TO; middle 

 toe, .80. (Smallest, No. .5,183, Fort Pierre, Nebraska; largest. No. 0,881, Sacramento, 

 Calilnrnia.) 



9. Wing, G..50- 0.80; tail, 3.15-3.30; culinen, ..51 -..55; tarsus, 1.50-1.00; middle 

 toe, .80. (Smallest, No. 45,020, Laredo, Texas ; largest, No. 3,071, San Jose, Lower 

 California.) 



Jiiv. Upper surface earth-brown, as in the adult, but entirely nniform, except the 

 wings and tail ; upper tail-coverts, and a large oval patch on the wing (covering the mid- 

 dle coverts and the posterior half of th(! le.-jser-covert region), i)lain i.«abella-white ; the 

 anterior portion of the lesser-covert region darker brown than the back. Gular region 

 well-defined pure white; ; jugidar collar conspicuous and unspotted. Whole lower parts 

 immacnlate isabclla-white. 



Had. W'estern Province of United States, from the Plains to the Pacific, and from the 

 Rio Grande to Cape St. Lucas; Mexico. 



Localities: Xalapa (Sci,. LS57, 200); Texas (Dresskr, Ibis, 186.5, 330; resident). 



Specimens never vary in tlio pattern of coloration, and but little in the 

 relative amount of the brown and while spotting ; the shade of tlie brown 

 and the depth of the ochraceous tinge vary consideriibly, however, in differ- 

 ent individuals, — but irrespective of locality, — the brown being paler and 

 the white purer in summer than in fall and winter, after tlie new dress is 

 freslily assumed. The brown on the breast varies considerably in quantity, 

 being sometimes nearly uniform, thereby abruptly contrasting with the 

 white jugidar band, and again frequently with the brown hardly greater in 

 amount than the white, the two colors being in regular bars, as on the sides 

 and flanks. 



There is certainly but one species, or even race, of Burrowing Owl in 

 North America. This i.s represented in the Smithsonian collection by ever 



