THE EUROPEAN HAWK-OWL. 67 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Circumpolar, some birds migrating into 

 the temperate zone in winter, in Europe occasionally as far south as 

 France, Switzerland, Caspian and Black Seas, in Asia to Japan, 

 once in north-west India, in America to California, Texas, N. 

 Carolina and Bermudas. 



Genus SURNIA Dum. 



Surnia Dumeril, Zool. Anal., p. 34 (1806 — Monotype " Surnie " = 

 S. ulula caparoch, also by designation of Gray 1841 " Strix ulula L.") 



Middle-sized, whitish and blackish Owls, without ear-tufts. 

 Third primary longest, 4th only a little shorter. Primaries much 

 longer than secondaries, first about equalling 6th. Tail long and 

 graduated, outermost pair about 3-4 cm. shorter than middle. 

 Feathering more compact than in most other Owls. Ears compara- 

 tively small, symmetrical, elliptical, without flap and transverse 

 fold. Tarsus very short, toes thickly feathered. Habits diurnal. 

 Only one species with a very distinct subspecies in America and 

 two very closely allied ones in Asia. 



SURNIA ULULA 



231. Surnia ulula ulula (L.)— THE EUROPEAN HAWK-OWL. 



Strix Ulula Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 93 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Surnia funerea (Linnaeus), Yarrell, 1, p. 183 (part) ; Saunders, p. 305 



(part). 



Description" (Plate 1). — Adult male and female. Winter. — Whole 

 •crown black-brown thickly spotted with white, feathers being 

 barred white and brown but with the white on distal portions 

 restricted and rounded, forming spots ; some feathers on each side 

 of crown somewhat elongated and forming ill-defined " horns " ; 

 hind -neck, upper mantle and scapulars white, irregularly barred and 

 spotted brown ; rest of mantle uniform brown with varying amount 

 of concealed white bars and spots ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 barred white and brown ; facial disk incomplete, feathers over 

 eyes being normal and not radiating, feathers of loral portion of 

 disk white with black tips and those behind eye with longer brown- 

 black tips, forming with a line of feathers behind eye and on side 

 of neck a narrow semicircular black-brown band, which is followed 

 by a shorter white patch at base of sides of neck, and. a black-brown 

 patch at sides of nape ; sides of chin and throat white (feathers often 

 with brown shaft -streaks), in centre of chin and throat a dark 

 brown patch of varying size ; upper-breast white with a few brown 

 bars or spots and on each side a dark brown patch formed by dark 

 brown or barred feathers which sometimes extend across breast 

 vol. 11. f 2 



