502 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — RAPTORES — STRIGES. 
425. A. flam/meus pratin’cola. (Lat. flammeus, flame-colored; pratincola, meadow-inhabiting.) . 
Barn Own. Above, including upper surfaces 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-brown, in some shades 
as if stained with claret, usually quite dark or even black. About the eyes, aud the border of the 
disc, dark brown. Thus extremely variable in tone of coloration, but the patvern 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. Q 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 latitudes; S. into Mexico, West Indies and Central America; 
abundant in wooded, settled, and especially maritime regions; usually resident. Breeds natu- 
rally in hollow trees, frequently in the 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 preparation upon the débris of the hole, commonly bones and other refuse of the 
food, which is chiefly small quadrupeds and insects. 
30. Family STRIGIDA: Other Owls. 
All other Striges, 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 Aluconide, 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 
ee = seem to go together, and they 
Fia. 352. —Mobbing an owl. (From Michelet.) are not correlated with the pres- 
ence or absence of plumicorns. The inner toe is shorter than the middle, and the middle 
claw is not pectinate. It may prove advisable to make these features the basis of a division 
of the Strigid@ into two subfamilies, Strigine and Bubonine, as proposed by Mr. Sharpe ; but 
I do not deem it expedient to present such arrangement on the present occasion. In the event 
of such final determination, our genera Strix, Asio, and Nyctala would fall in Strigine; the 
rest in Bubonine. 
Analysis of Genera. 
(40) SrRigina: ? Eye centric in large complete circular disc, and ear-conch larger than eye, with well 
developed operculum. 7 
Plumicorns absent ; cere short. 
Ear-parts symmetrical. Large: length over 12imches. . . . 5 eae oe . Strix 164 
Ear-parts asymmetrical. Small: length under 12inches. . . , F » . . « Nyctala 167 
Plumicorns present; cere longer than rest of culmen aoe AS oe oo » oe +. Asio 163 
