SUHNIA. 
301 
posing the face, is smoke gray, very delicately 
penciled with brown. The feathers on the back 
which immediately lie oyer the wings, are rich 
yellowish white, with dark edges and tips, and 
form a conspicuous mark as in the Tawny Owl. 
The secondaries have an oral white spot on the 
outer web of each, which forms an interrupted 
bar across the wing. The quills are mottled with 
brown, or pale yellowish, or grayish brown, on the 
inner webs having bars formed by the markings 
being darker, more solid, and more arranged as 
blotches ; on the outer webs interrupted by alter- 
nate bars of white, generally edged with a deeper 
shade. The tail is very slightly rounded, barred 
alternately with a mottled space, one of a deeper 
tint, and more clouded arrangement, and one of 
yellowish or reddish white. The tarsi are covered 
with narrow yellowish white feathers, streaked 
with brown down the centre ; feet are of a bluish 
yellow ; claws horn colour. Irides are described 
to be of king’s yellow. Length from crown of 
head to extremity of tail about seven inches and 
a half ; from same point to end of quills, about 
eight inches. 
The genus Surnia, Dumeril, exhibits the form 
which leads from the nocturnal, again to the 
diurnal, birds of prey. The form is very powerful ; 
the head small, the ruff nearly wanting, the facial 
