BARN OWL. 389 



It is thus apparent that the Barn Owl sees remarkably well by day, 

 and in my opinion it is closely connected with the Burrowing Owl. 

 We kept several of the young alive, feeding them on small terra- 

 pins. It was observed that the first pellets which they disgorged were 

 thrown up five days after they were first fed, and that they subse- 

 quently ejected them at intervals of about forty-eight hours. 



The food provided for the young by their parents consisted entirely 

 of large Cotton or Marsh Rats. 



The Prince of Musignano in his List of the Birds of Europe and 

 North America, states that this Owl, his Btrix pratiiicola, inhabits the 

 " northern parts," where, however, not a single specimen has ever been 

 seen : Pennsylvania and New York are the northern limits of its range. 

 On this account, and because it is generally of larger size, I think it 

 probable that it is distinct from Strix flammea of Europe. 



The eggs are not globular, but of a regular ovate form, one inch 

 nine and a half twelfths in length, an inch and a quarter in breadth, 

 pure white, with the surface roughish. 



The dimensions of a Female from Galveston Island are as follows : 



Length to end of tail 17^ inches, to end of wings 18f, to end of 

 claws 19f ; extent of wings 46 j ; bill along the ridge l/^, along the 

 edge of lower mandible l\l ; width of mouth 1^% ; tarsus Z^^ ; hind 

 toe y§, its claw k% '■< second or inner toe li%, its claw l/^ ; middle toe 

 li%, its claw \% ; outer toe 1, its claw 1 ; wing from flexure 14 j ; tail 

 6i%, the lateral feathers /? longer than the middle. 



The palate is concave in the middle, sloping upwards at the sides, 

 with two longitudinal ridges, and an anterior median tuberculate ridge. 

 The posterior apertiu-e of the nares is ovato-lanceolate, ^ inch long, 

 with an anterior slit of the same length, the margins of which, and 

 the space between it and the ridges are finely papillate. The tongue 

 is 11 twelfths long, sagittate and papillate at the base, one of the pa- 

 pillae on each side much larger, the sides nearly parallel, the breadth 

 at the middle 2| twelfths, its upper surface flattened, with a median 

 groove, the tip rounded and emarginate. 



The nostrils are ovate, direct, 2^ twelfths by 1^ twelfth. The 

 apertm-e of the eye is \ inch in breadth. The ear forms a very large 

 semicircular conch, extending from over the anterior angle of the eye 

 to the middle of the lower jaw, and measuring 5 inches along its poste- 



