BIEDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMEBICA. 601 



art-shaped."* Ear-opening relatively small, subquadrate, with a 

 ther small anterior subquadratp operculum. Wing very long, the 

 agest primaries exceeding distal secondaries by more than one- 

 ird the total length of wing; tenth (apparent outermost) or ninth 

 imary longest, neither with inner web sinuated or emarginated. 

 lilless than half as long as wing, more or less distinctly emarginated. 

 irsus very long (nearly to quite twice as long as middle toe without 

 iw), densely clothed with short, soft feathers, those on the posterior 

 le reversed (inclined upward) ; toe scantily bristled ; inner toe as long 

 middle toe, the outer much shorter; claws very long and sharp, 

 at of middle toe with its inner edge produced and pectinated. 

 Coloration. — Plumage with either white, buff, or tawny prevailing, 

 is usually more or less freckled or otherwise variegated (at least on 

 e upper parts) with brown or dusky. 



Range. — Nearly cosmopoMtan, but wanting in colder regions, New 

 saland, Polynesia, and Madagascar. (Nearly 30 forms recognized, 

 which about one-third are American.) 



The American bam owls comprise two very distinct groups; one 

 ainly continental (occtirring off the continent only on the Bahamas, 

 iba, the Caymans, and Jamaica), and characterized by large size 

 dng 312-360 mm.), the other exclusively insular, and distinguished 

 T small size (wing 226-254 mm.), together with peculiarities of eol- 

 ation. There can be no question as to the specific distinctness of 

 e two groups, the former of which includes a single species divided 

 to a number of geographic forms (connected, in geographic sequence, 

 T intermediate specimens), while the latter as certainly represent 

 ur species, one each peculiar to Haiti, the Lesser Antilles, Curacao, 

 id the Galapagos Archipelago. AU, in my opinion, are specifically 

 stinct from the Em-opean T. albus, for not only are the distinctive 

 laracters of coloration, dimensions, etc., sufficiently marked but 

 eir geographic isolation prevents the possibihty of intergradation. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF TTTO. 



Larger (wing 312-360 mm.). ( Tyto perlata.) 



'). Secondaries always conspicuously lighter in color than rest of wing, often white, 

 sometimes immaculate; under parts never wholly ochraceous or buHy; facial 

 border white to ochraceous-buff . (Cuba, Isle of Pines, Grand Cayman, Cayman 



Brae, and Jamaica.) Tyto perlata furoata (p. 602). 



bb. Secondaries never (?) conspicuously lighter in color than rest of wing, rarely 

 at all paler, never white; imder parts frequently ochraceous or buff (except 

 in T. p. lucayana'i); facial border ochraceotjs-buff to dark brown, rarely 

 whitish, 

 c. Paler, the under parts usually white; upper parts usually with much ochra- 

 ceous or buff, this sometimes predominating. 



s The peculiar phjfsiognomy of the bam owl is responsible for the common name 

 lonkey-faced Owl" very generally applied to T. pratincola in the United States. 



