132 STRIGID A. 
winter, as far south as Pennsylvania. ‘Two specimens are 
said to have been brought from the Sandwich Isles, and 
Mr. Gould has seen examples from Brazil, and the Straits 
of Magellan. 
The head of this species is small compared with that of 
Owls generally ; the tufts, about three-quarters of an ich 
long, formed of three or four feathers, which can be elevated 
or depressed at pleasure; the beak is black; the irides 
golden yellow ; the feathers radiating from around each 
eye, forming the facial disk, are dark, almost black at the 
base, but becoming lighter in colour and mixed with brown 
towards the end, those pointing in the direction of the 
beak hiding the cere; the facial disk surrounded by a 
whitish line or border; top of the head, neck, back, and 
wings, patched with very dark brown: the feathers edged 
with fawn colour; wing-coverts with a few roundish spots 
of yellowish white; wing-primaries pale reddish brown, 
barred with dark brown, and ending with speckled ash- 
grey ; upper surface of tail-feathers buff colour, with five 
transverse bars of very dark brown; the chin white; all 
the under surface of the body pale buff, with longitudinal 
patches of blackish brown on the neck and breast, and 
streaked with the same colour on the belly and flanks; 
thighs, legs, and upper surface of the toes covered with 
short, uniform, hair-like, pale buff-coloured feathers; under 
surface of the toes naked; claws almost black, curved and 
sharp. 
The whole length from fourteen to fifteen inches. Wings, 
when closed, reaching beyond the end of the tail. The 
females are larger than the males; but the differences in 
the plumage of the sexes are not very obvious. 
