BIRDS OF NEW YORK 



117 



grayish white below with ragged stripes of dusky on the breast, and irregular 

 bars on flanks and belly; face grayish white with narrow dusky concentric 

 rings. This great owl bears only a superficial resemblance to the Barred 

 owl. Though of such large dimensions, its body is smaller than that of 

 the Great-horned owl. 



Length 25-30 inches; extent 54-60; wing 16-18; tail 11-12.6. 



Distribution. The Great gray owl, closely related to the Lapp owl 

 of Eurasia, inhabits the Boreal forests of North America from Central 

 Alberta and Keewatin northward to the limit of trees. In winter it wanders 

 irregularly southward as far as New York, Ohio, Nebraska and California. 

 In the Adirondacks it is probably more common as a winter visitor than 

 is generally supposed, but throughout the remainder of the State is only 

 of rare and irregular occurrence. The following records, the only ones 

 from this State at my disposal, will indicate the frequency of its visits. 



Marcy, Oneida county February 1875 



Adirondacks March 1879 



Steuben county February 10, 1887 



Watson, Lewis county December 17, 1889 



New York State 1889 



White Lake, Oneida 

 county 



St Lawrence county 



Mount Sinai, Suf- 

 folk county 



Rensselaer county 



Seneca Castle, On- 

 tario county 



February 1895 

 1890-95 (3 specimens) 

 (date unknown) 



January 1907 



Ralph and Bagg 



Lawrence, N. O. C. Bui. 5, 122 



Wood, Auk, 5, no 



Miller, Auk, 7, 206 



Bambir, F. & S. ^^t,, 449 



Johnson, Aul-c, 12, 301 



Dutcher, Auk, 12:181 



A. H. Helme 



F. S. Webster 



Ernest Watts 



Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni (Bonaparte) 

 Richardson Owl 



Plate 55 



Nyctale richardsoni Bonaparte. Geog. & Comp. List. 1838. 7 

 Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni. A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. 



p. 171. No. 371 



cry'ptoglaux, Gr. xpuxToq, hidden, and TAouc, the little owl of Europe; funerea, 

 Lat., funereal; richardsoni, to John Richardson 



Description. Similar to the next species, but larger, fully equaling 

 the Screech owl; the white spots on head more rounded and not short streaks 



