214 OWLS. 



this reason feed more largely on small mammals — most of which are 

 nooturnal— than the diurnal birds of prey. They are therefore of 

 even greater value to the agriculturist than Hawks. 



Their prey is captured with their talons, and, unless too large, is 

 swallowed entire. The bones and hair are afterward ejected at the 

 mouth in matted pellets. 



Owls' eyes are so fixed in their sockets that they can not look from 

 one point to another by simply " rolling" the eyeball, but are obliged 

 to turn their head. The weird, almost human, voices of Owls add not 

 a little to the superstitious fear with which they are frequently re- 

 garded. The eggs of Owls are uniformly white, unmarked. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



I. "Wing over 10-00. 

 A. Belly without bars, striped longitudinally. 

 a. Upper parts with cross-bars. 



oi. Toes feathered 368. Bakeed Owl. 



a'. Toes bare 368a. Florida Babbed Owl. 



A. Upper parts striped longitudinally .... 367. Shobt-eabed Owl. 

 Ji. Belly with cross-bars. 



a. With conspicuous horns or ears. 



fli. Wing over 13-00 375. Gkeat Horned Owl and races. 



a". Wing under 13-00 . . . . . . . .366. Am. Low g-eabed Owl. 



b. Without horns or ears. 



S'. Plumage white, more or less barred with black. 376. Snowt Owl. 

 b'. Plumage fuscous, mottled and barred with whitish. 



370. Geeat Geay Owl. 

 11. Wing under 10-00. 



A. Toes heavily feathered. 



a. Wing more than 6-00. 



a'. Tail more than 6-00 377a. Am. Hawk Owl. 



a'. Tail less than 6-00 371. Kichaedson's Owl. 



b. Wing less than 6-00 372. Saw-whet Owl. 



B. Toes thinly, if at all, feathered. 



a. Tarsi heavily feathered ; with conspicuous horns. 



373. ScEEEOH Owl. 373a. Ploeida Soeeech Owl. 



b. Tarsi partly bare ; no horns . . . 378a. Floeida Bubbowing Owl.. 



366. Asio -wilsonianus (Less.). American Long-eaeed Owl. Ad. 

 — Ear-tufts conspicuous, an inch or more in length, black bordered by white 

 and huffy ; upper parts fusoous-hrown mottled with white, the bases of the 

 feathers ochraoeous-buff ; tail with six to eight fuscous cross-bars ; facial disk 

 buff'y bordered by black ; under parts mi.xed white and oehraoeous-huff, the 

 breast broadly streaked, the sides and belly irregularly barred with fuscous; 

 eyes yellow. L., 14-80 ; W., 11-90 ; T., 6-00 ; B., 1-06. 



Bange. — North America ; breeds from Nova Scotia and Manitoba south- 

 ward to the Gulf States. 



