m 



AVES. 



There are others vory much smaller, — such as 



Sfr. Tengmahni, Gra.— [Tlie^e have an extended auiiitory conch, as in tlie Howlets, like wliich they ire very 

 nocturnal, and unable to endure the lij^ht of day. The Ni/cfale of Brehni. The species indicated is pe :uliar to 

 tbe Eastern Continent, that confounded with it in the far-countries of North America, -SV/'. Tengynalmi, 

 Richard.son, beiny now (h^dicated to it.s enterprising,^ discoverer.] 



But the greater number of those small species have only 

 a few scattered hairs on the toes, [and are nearly allied to the 

 true Sums. They are the Jthene, Boic]. Such is 



*SY/-. pnxsrrhin, Gm. [antl of Britisli aulliors; Str. nfirUm, Lin.; 

 Athene nodua, Bunap.] — it iiestles in old walls, [and frequently in 

 ehirnneys, and has been seen to pursue Swallows on the wing. A 

 riMuarkable exotic species, with very long tarsi, is the 



Str. ciui/ry/tfrin, Molina, or the Biirrowing OvJ, as it bas been 

 called; but which, it is ntost probable, only appropriates the dwell- 

 ings of burrowing quadrupeds, as the Barn Owl is known to do 

 under similar circumstances ; the present species inhabiting the open 

 jjrairies of America, where there are no trees, and aboundinLT in the 

 tiUagesof the Prairie Marmots, as also in the burrows of the Vis- 

 each as]. 



There are yet other Nocfiue VAith uufcathered toes, which 

 approximate the Ilowlets in size. Cayenne supplies several line 

 species, and particularly the three following : — 



Fiu' ■?>.— su-rrmm i>f llowlef. ,S/r. rni/rii )u-)i.'rl.'^, Gm. ; S/r. Ihicata, Shaw, or Sir. alhomargiiinia^ 



Spix ; and Sir. ionntalo, ])auil.— The two lirst of these equal in ^izc the Ta\iny Howlet, and the last is 

 still larger. 



Finally, tlicro arc some in America, which have the tarsi, in addition to their toes, denuded of 

 feathers ; of which the 

 Sir. nuil/pi-s, Daud., may be cited in illustraMnn. 



The Scots {Scoj^s-, Savigny"), — ■ 

 ^Vith ears prniiortioncd to the size of the head, the incori>iilete disk and naked toes of the preceding, 

 combine aigrettes analogous to those of the Bubows and lliboux. 

 One iiihaljits Europe {Str. scops, Lin.) — Scarcely larger than a Blackbird, [and there are many others]. 



Some foreign species occur of rather large size, with the legs, as well as the toes, naked. [Tliey 

 constitute the subdivision Krhij)a.'] Such are 



Sir. Krhijin, Trni., and Str. Lrsrhniaulli, Id., ^\hich may possibly prove to be identical. [These Birds are 

 essentially Bnbdws, with long and naked tarsi, tlie skin of ^\hich corrugates in dry specimens, so as to pi'esent 

 somewhat the appearance of being covered with reticulated scales, which is not the case. Their toes are very 

 ronirh underneath, as in the Os|treys ; and like them they prey chiefly on hsh, and sometimes crustaceans. The 

 Cullraiiijiih of Hodgson ap^ ears tu be a synonynie of this subdivision, 



The threat !:i:roup of Owls falls naturally into three distinct sections, distingnishablc at the 

 first g:hince ; and two of these sections comprehend species which differ exceedingly m the 

 ma^^nitude of the external ear. 



The first comprises all that are decorated with aijxrettes, or what arc ]iopidarly termed 

 IJoriietl Oirls ; as the divisions Nyctea, Bnho, Ki'ti(/ia, Scops, and Of/i.s\ 



In the second section, the wlnde of the tuftless S])ecies should be brong:ht togctlier, 

 exceptinn; those constituting the subdivision Slrix of Savigny. They mainly difier in their 

 degrees of ada])tati(in for nocturnal or semi-diurnal habits. 



'ihc third is eoin[)osed of the restrii'ted genus Sfrixy or the luirn Owls, and is much more 

 distinct from both the others, than the latter are inter se. The aspect of the livmg bird is 

 very (hltcrent in these bree primary sections.] 



