212 NOTES ON THE 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
The largest owl of North America. Head very large, eyes 
small, tail rather long; upper parts smoky or ashy-brown, 
mottled and transversely barred with ashy-white; under parts 
ashy-white, with numerous longitudinal stripes of dark ashy- 
brown predominating on the breast and with transverse stripes 
of the same on the abdomen, legs and under tail coverts; 
quills brown with about five wide, irregular bands of ashy- 
white; tail brown with five or six wide, irregular bands of 
ashy-white, mottled with dark brown; feathers of the disc on 
the neck tipped with white; eye nearly encircled by a black 
spot; radiating feathers around the eye, with regular trans- 
verse narrow bands of dark brown and ashy white; bill pale 
yellow; claws pale yellowish-white, darker at their tips; iris 
bright yellow. 
Length, 25 to 30; wing, 18; tail, 12 to 15. 
Habitat, Arctic America. 
NYCTALA TENGMALMI: RICHARDSONI (Bonap.).  (871.) 
RICHARDSON’S OWL. 
I believe this owl to be a more northern species, which vis 
- its the State considerably in winter. I find it is more common 
about the head of Lake Superior than in the middle and south- 
ern counties. I have an individual sent me, sometimes 
several, from different sections of my field every winter and I 
have seen a number in Mr. Howlings’ collection at different 
times. but by far the larger portion have been from Duluth and 
vicinity. It was taken in the dense woods west of Lake Min- 
netonka as early as 1869, and persons residing in that region 
who claim to be perfectly familiar with the Saw-whet or 
Acadian Owl, (N. Acadica) assure me that this form is not 
unfrequently seen in the colder weather of winter. 
Its food principally is small birds, mice and insects. It is 
enough larger than the Saw-whet to make its popular observa- 
tion presumably correct. 
I shall not be greatly surprised if the nest is found here ul- . 
timately, notwithstanding it has been considered so exclusively 
aretic. It is strictly nocturnal in its habits, living upon small 
birds, insects and mice. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
(From Stearns. ) 
‘Above olivaceous chocolate brown, spotted with white; be- 
neath, white, spotted and streaked with a brown similar to the 
back. but a little darker; disk white; a white spot between the 
