22 



BARN OWL. 



Latham describes a variety of this bird, the length of which is sixteen 

 inches ; the bill more than two inches long, and brown ; orbits, chin, 

 and throat, white, with a white line from the bill to the eye ; cheeks 

 and fore part of the neck white, with short dusky streaks ; crown and 

 upper part of the neck brown, streaked with white ; wings black, marked 

 with elegant triangular spots of white ; breast and belly white ; legs 

 long and of a rich yellow ; sometimes red. 



We do not know whether this variety has been met with in England; 

 the other has been killed with us, though rarely, on the coast during 

 winter. It breeds in the North of Europe and America. 



One lately came under our inspection killed in August on the south 

 coast of Devonshire. It weighed about six ounces ; length thirteen inches ; 

 the bill two inches and a half long, and very slender ; the upper man- 

 dible longest, and black ; the base of the under mandible red. The 

 head and back of the neck dusky, dashed with cinereous, lightest on the 

 latter ; from the bill to the eye a dusky streak ; chin and throat white ; 

 back, scapulars, and wing coverts, dusky, spotted with grey ; the fore 

 part of the neck, breast, and all the under parts, mottled brown and 

 white ; lower part of the back and rump white ; the coverts of the tail 

 barred with black and white ; the six first quill-feathers dusky black, 

 the rest more or less scalloped or barred with white on the edges of 

 both webs ; the first feather has a white shaft ; the tail consists of 

 twelve feathers ; the two middle ones rather longest ; all obscurely 

 marked with numerous bars of black and brown ; the edges scalloped 

 with white ; legs orange-red, four inches long, from the end of the toe 

 to the knee, and one inch bare above the knee. It feeds on river shell- 

 fish ; rarely on insects or worms. 



* The young birds have the plumage tinged with olive-brown, scapu- 

 lars and wing coverts with triangular black spots, belly whitish, with 

 zig-zag lines and spots of brownish-ash. Latham's Courland snipe is 

 only the present species in its perfect winter plumage ; his dusky snipe 

 the same in its summer or breeding plumage.* 



BARLEY BIRD. — A name for the Aberdevine. 



BARN OWL (Aluco Jlammeus, Fleming.) 



Strix flammea, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 133. 8.—Gmel. Svst. 1. p. 293.— Rati, Syn. p. 25. 

 A. 1. — Will. p. 104. t. 13.— Ind. Orn. 1. p. 6*0. 28.— Bris. 1. p. 503. 2.— Ib. 

 8vo. p. 147.— Aluco minor, Aldrov. Will. p. 67. t. 13.— L'Effraie, Buff. I. 

 p. 366. t. 26.— White Owl, Br. Zool. 1. No. 67.— Ib. fol. p. 71. t. B.— Arct. 

 Zool. No. 124.— Will. (Angl.) p. 104. t, 13.— Albin, 2. t.U.—Lewin, Br. Birds, 

 1. t. 26.— Lath. Syn. 1. p. 138. 26.— Sup. p. 46.— Wale. Syn. 1. t. 26.— Don. 

 Br. Birds, 5. t. 113.— Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 4. — Mont. Orn. Diet.— Bewick, 1. 

 13.— Barn Owl, Shaw y Zool. 7. 258.— Selby, pi. 24. 8vo.pt. 1. p. 61.— Flem. p. 57. 



Provincial. — Gillihowter. Howlet. Madge Howlet. Church Owl. 

 Llissing Owl. Screech Owl. 



