64 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Key to genera of Strigid^. 



Very large, wing over 330 mm 2 



Middle-sized or small, wing under 320 mm. ... 3 



Long ear-tufts, colour chiefly yellowish- brown and 



blackish Bubo, p. 77 



Indistinct ear- tufts, colour snow-white with blackish- 

 brown markings Nyctea, -p. 64 



Wing over 200 mm 4 



Wing under 200 mm 6 



Underside cross- barred Surnia, p. 67 



Underside uniform white or buff, or scantily spotted . Tyto, p. 94 



Underside with heavy longitudinal markings ... 5 



Wings comparatively short, 2nd primary much shorter 

 than 3rd, 4th and 5th usually longest, five outer 

 primaries distinctly notched on inner webs . . . Strix, p. 90 



Wings comparatively long, 2nd and 3rd primary longest, 



first only distinctly notched on inner web . . . Asio, p. 80 



Toes thickly clothed in pure white feathers .... Mgolius, p. 70 

 Toes with thin scanty feathers or bristles .... Athene, p. 73 

 Toes absolutely bare Otus, p. 87 



Genus NYCTEA Steph. 



Nyctea Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool., xin, n, p. 62 (1826 — Type by 

 tautonymy Strix nyctea L. ) 



Structurally near Bubo and of nearly same size, but " ear- 

 tufts " only indistinctly indicated or rudimentary. Feathers of 

 facial disk very long and almost completely concealing the bill. 

 Eyes small for an Owl, smaller than in Bubo. Toes thickly clothed 

 in feathers which conceal greater part of claws. Colour pure white, 

 more or less spotted and blotched with dusky. Only one species. 

 Circumpolar. 



NYCTEA NYCTEA* 



230. Nyctea nyctea (L.)— THE SNOWY OWL. 



Strix Nyctea Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 93 (1758 — " Habitat in 

 Europa et America septentrionali. " Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 

 Nyctea scandiaca (Linnaeus), Yarrell, 1, p. 187 ; Saunders, p. 303. 



Description (Plate 1). — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Pure 

 white or slightly tinged creamy with a few brown spots and broken 



* Linnaeus's name scandiaca cannot be accepted, because he referred to 

 an Owl with long ears, and thus could not have meant the Snowy Owl. — E.H. 



