178 BIRDS 



sess a stomach instead of a crop. They do not swallow 

 feathers and bones, as do owls. 



Barn owls are similar to other owls in habits and struc- 

 ture, but constitute a different family. Owls are found in 

 all parts of the world, about twenty inhabiting Xorth 

 America. They resemble hawks in beaks, in talons, and in 

 carnivorous habits, but have eyes directed forward. The 

 eyes are fixed in sockets, so that the entire head must be 

 moved to change the center of vision. This gives them a 

 droll, wise look, which makes the owl an emblem of wis- 

 dom. The prey is seized with the talons and swallowed 

 whole, hair, feathers, and bones, and the indigestible parts 

 are later expelled through the mouth in the form of pellets. 

 A peculiarity of the foot is that the outer toe is reversible. 

 Owls, except those ranging far north, are nocturnal, while 

 hawks are diurnal. The cry of the owl is so weird as to 

 create a superstitious dread. The eggs are uniformly white 

 and unmarked. The plumage is long and loose, so that the 

 flight is noiseless. Owls feed largely on destructive rodents; 

 little poultry or few useful birds are destroyed by any 

 except the horned owl. Owls are, therefore, of even greater 

 economic value than the hawks. 



THE CALIFORNIA \TrLTURE* 



Dr. Brewer states that the single species composing this 

 very distinct genus belongs to western North America, and, 

 so far as known, has the most restricted distribution of all 

 the large raptorial birds in the world. It is found on the 

 coast ranges of southern California from Monterey Bay 



