THE EAGLE-OWL. 77 



certainly breeds in all of them : Cheshire, Staffs., Worcester, 

 Hereford, Gloucester, Devon, Cornwall, Suffolk. Wales. — Breeds 

 Monmouth (1915) and Radnor (1918). Recently occurred Flint 

 (1920), Montgomery (1919), Cardigan (1920) and Pembroke (1920), 

 and thus now appears widely distributed in Wales. Occurrences 

 Anglesey 1899 and 1909. Scotland and Ireland. — Kincardine, Feb. 

 1902, Fife, November 1910, Kildare, June 1903, may have been 

 escapes or genuine migrants. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Holland and Flanders, exact limits not 

 yet defined. Replaced by typical form in middle Europe to 

 Mediterranean and by other forms in Spain, north Africa, eastern 

 Europe and Asia. 



Genus BUBO Dum. 



Bubo Dumeril, Zool. Anal., p. 34 (1806 — Type by tautonymy Strix bubo). 



The largest Owls. Always with well deve]oped " ear -tufts."* 

 Ear-openings symmetrical, comparatively small and without 

 operculum. Tarsus thickly feathered, toes feathered, at least in 

 all European forms. Longest primaries decidedly longer than 

 secondaries, generally 3rd or 3rd and 4th longest, two to four outer 

 ones emarginated or notched on inner webs. Claws very powerful, 

 that of middle toe larger than that of hind-toe. About 12 species 

 and numerous subspecies. Europe, Asia, x\frica and America, absent 

 from Australia and New Zealand. 



BUBO BUBO 



235. Bubo bubo bubo (L.)— THE EAGLE-OWL. 



Strix Bubo Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 92 (1758 — Em-ope. Restricted 



typical locality : Sweden). 



Bubo ignavus T. Forster, Yarrell, 1, p. 168 ; Saunders, p. 309. 



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

 General appearance of upper-parts brown-black and tawny-buff, 

 latter with wavy bars and vermiculations of black-brown ; whole 

 crown brown-black, each feather with creamy to tawny-buff 

 edgings with wavy bars and vermiculations of brown-black ; 

 feathers of " horns " (longest feather 55-70 mm.) on each side of 

 top of crown same but only inner webs edged buff ; back of 

 neck with broader and more tawny edgings less barred ; feathers 

 of mantle and scapulars with distal portions as crown and 

 proximal portions cream to tawny with wavy bars and vermicula- 



* These tufts of feathers can be laid down or erected, and arise on the 

 fore-head, above the eyes and ear- openings. 



