MONOGRAPH 
OF 
THE OWLS—STRIGID4, 
By eae Dae DK ANU Pe 

As all birds are formed on one and the same scheme, so that 
every one looking at the Humming-Bird and the Ostrich shall at 
the first view distinguish them as members of one and the same 
class, so the Owls are formed in a higher degree, on one and the 
same general typical model, and they make such a natural family, 
that every one recognises them as parts of one and the same section. 
This agreement of the general form constitutes the reason that, 
the Owls, in the suborder Rapaces, represent the whole class of 
birds, like the Cuculide, Trochilide, Hirundinide, Sternine et 
Columbide, in their orders or suborders. 
This similarity makes all these families present a very difficult 
problem, as well for systematic as for descriptive Ornithology. 
The bird, as the second class of the vertebrata, represents the 
Ear, Respiration and Breast-Animals, and in the same manner 
do the Strigide in their suborder, represent the same sense-organ, 
the same anatomical system, and the same body-region. 
They are Lar-Rapaces, because we find in them the largest ear 
with a complete operculum ; they are Respiration-Rapaces, because 
they have largely developed lungs and air-sacks, and a very great 
development of pneumacity of the bones, especially of the head, and 
they have a far-sounding voice. They are Breast-Rapaces, because 
the breast is prominently developed in comparison with the belly 
Yegion, 
As the sense organ of the Zar, as 
Respiration, as the body region of the Breast, and as the class of 
birds take all the second rank, the Owls must have the second 
place as a family amongst the first suborder Rapaces, because they 
are the manifestations of these organs, oF in other words, they are 
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the anatomical system of the 
