502 



SYSTE3IA TIC SYNOPSIS. — liAPTOIiES — STBIGES. 



435. A. flarn'meus pratin'cola. (Lat. flammeus, fiame-eolored ; pratincola, meadow-inhabitintj;.) 

 Barn Owl. Abdve, iucluding upper suifiK^es of wings and tail, tawny, fulvous, or orange- 

 brown, delicately clouded or marbled with ashy and white, and dotted with blackish, sometimes 

 also with white ; such marking resolved, or tending to resolve, into four or five bars of dark 

 mottling on the wings and tail. Below, including lining of wings, varying from pure white to 

 tawny, ochrey, or fulvous, but usually paler than the upper parts and dotted with small but 

 distinct blackish specks. Face varying from white to fulvous or purplish-broM'n, in some shades 

 as if stained with claret, usually quite dark or even black. About the eyes, and the border of the 

 disc, dark brown. Thus extremely variable in tone of coloration, but the pattern more constant, 

 while the generic characters render the bird unmistakable. Nestlings are covered with fluffy 

 white down. Length 15.00-17.00 ; extent about 44.00; wing 13.00-14.00; tail 6.00-7.00 ; bill 

 0.95 ; tarsus 2.75. 9 larger than ^ . The superior size is the chief distinction from the Old 

 World A. flammeus. U. S. from Atlantic to Pacific; somewhat southerly, only known N. to 

 Massachusetts and corresponding latitudi;s ; S. into Mexico, West Indies and Central America; 

 abundant in wooded, settled, and esj)ecially maritime regions; usually resident. Breeds natu- 

 rally in hollow trees, frequently in tlic barn, belfry, tower, or other building; eggs 3-6 in 

 number, colorless or soiled yellowish-white, about 1.75 X 1.25, nearly equal-ended, laid with 

 little or no prejjaration upon the debris of the hole, commonly bones and other refuse of the 

 food, which is chiefly small quadrupeds and insects. 



30. Family STRIGID^ : Other Owls. 



All other Sfriges, as far as 

 known, have the sternum once 

 or twice notched on each side 

 behind, and the furculum. free 

 from that bone. The outer ear- 

 parts are sometimes as highly 

 developed as in Aluconidce , or 

 they may be quite small ; the 

 facial disc varies in size and per- 

 fection, being largest, most cir- 

 cular, and most completely radi- 

 ating from the eye as a centre in 

 those species in which the ear- 

 conch is best developed. These 

 two characters would therefore 

 seem to go together, and they 

 Fig. 3B2. —Mobbing an owl. (From Michelet.) are not correlated with the pres- 



ence or absence of plumicorns. Tlie inner toe is shorter than the middle, and the middle 

 claw is not jiectinate. It may prove advisable to make these features the basis of a division 

 of the Strifjida; into two subfamilies, Strigina' and Buhonina, as proposed by Mr. Sharpe ; but 

 I do not deem it expedient to present such arrangeuKnit on the present occasion. In the event 

 of such final determination, our genera Sfri.c, A.?io, and Nyctala would faU in Strigina:; the 



rest in Buhonincc. 



Anabj^ii^ of (h ncra. 



(40) Stkioin/h ? Eye centric in large complete eiiouhu- disc, and ear-concli larger than eye, witli well 

 <levelopeil oi'erculum, 

 Pluraicorna absent ; cere sliort. 



Ear-parts syninietrical. Ijarge; length over 12 inclies Strix 164 



Ear-parts asymmetrical. Small: length uniler 12 inches Ni/ctala 167 



Plumicorns present ; cere Innjjcr tlmn rest of cnlnien ... Asu> 163 



