260 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Hab. Northern portions of Europe and Asia, straggling to western Alaska 

 (shores of Norton Sound). 



370a. S. cinereum lapponicum (Eetz.). lapp Owl. 



Genus NYCTALA Brehm. (Page 256, pi. LXXV., fig. 1.) 



Species. 



Common Characters. — Adults: Above brown, more or less spotted with 

 white ; beneath white, broadly striped with brown. Young : Above plain brown, 

 the wings and tail as in adults ; face plain dusky, the " eyebrows" white, in con- 

 spicuous contrast; lower parts plain brownish anteriorly, plain ochraceous pos- 

 teriorly. 



a 1 . Wing 6.50, or more, tail more than 4.00. 



b 1 . Smaller and paler; legs whitish, usually without spots; lower tail-coverts 

 with narrow brown mesial streaks or shaft-streaks; wing 6.50-6.90 

 (6.74), tail 4:20-4.40 (4.27). Sab. Northern portions of eastern hemi- 

 sphere. 



N. tengmalmi (Gmel.). Tengmalm's Owl. 1 

 b 2 . Larger and darker; legs and feet usually buffy, more or less (sometimes 

 thickly) spotted with brown ; lower tail-coverts with broad mesial 

 stripes of brown; length 9.00-12.00, wing 6.60-7.40 (7.12), tail 4.10-4.70 

 (4.42). Nest in trees. Eggs 2-4, 1.35 X 1-14- Sab? Northern North 

 America ; south, in winter, to northern border of United States. 



371. N. tengmalmi richardsoni (Bonap.). Richardson's Owl. 

 a 2 . "Wing less than 6.00, tail less than 3.50. Plumage much as in JV. richardsoni, but 

 with less white on top of head and hind-neck, stripes on lower parts more 

 reddish, and feet always (?) plain whitish or buffy ; length 7.25-8.50, wing 

 5.25-5.90 (5.58), tail 2.80-3.25 (3.02). Nest in holes in trees or in deserted 

 nests of other birds. Eggs 3-5, 1.19 X 1-00. Sab. Northern United States 

 and British Provinces, rarely south of 40° in eastern portions, but in moun- 

 tainous western districts south to southern Mexico. 



372. N. acadica (Gmel.). Saw-whet Owl. 



Genus MEGASCOPS Kaup. (Page 256, pi. LXXV., fig. 2.) 



Species. 

 Common Characters. — Outer webs of outermost scapulars mostly whitish, 

 buffy, or pale rusty, with blackish terminal border, producing a more or less con- 

 spicuous light-colored stripe along each side of back ; feathers of plumage in general 

 with blackish shaft-streaks, or broader mesial streaks, the latter, especially on lower 

 parts, usually throwing off narrow transverse bars ; outer webs of quills with con- 

 spicuous, large, more or less quadrate whitish or buffy spots, and tail more or less 

 distinctly (never sharply) banded with a paler tint than the ground-color ; ground- 



1 Strix tengmalmi Gmel., S. N. i. 1788, 291. Nyctala tengmalmi Bonap., Geog. & Comp. List, 1838, 7. 



