WHITE, on BARN OWL. 113 
thinly covered with short w'hite down 
®arly to the feet, which are of a dirty rvhite, and 
i^kly ivarted; toes, thinly clad with white hairs; 
s's and feet, lar;>e and cliuusy; the ridge, or shoulder 
the wing is tinged with bright orange brown. The 
bird is more white ; in some, the spots of black on 
y I hreast are wanting, and tlie colour below, a pale 
®dow ; ii, others, a pure white. 
I ^he female measures tifteen inches and a half in 
j^^th, and three feet eight inches in extent; is much 
•■ker above ; the lower parts tinged with tawny, and 
v! also with round spots ol black. One of these 
lately sent me, which was shot on the border of the 
m **lnws below Philadelphia. Its stomach contained 
io* *''anglc(l carcasses of four largo meadow mice, hair, 
and all. The common practice of most owls is, 
th . breaking the bones, to swallow the mouse entire ; 
hones, hair, and other indigestible parts, are after- 
discharged fi roin the mouth in large roundish dry 
a* **■ that are fre(|Hently met with in such places as 
birds usually haunt. 
th( meadow mouse is so eagerly sought after by 
I'irds, and also by great numbers of hawks, which 
t^';"'nrly, at the commencement of winter, resort to the 
tb^^k'^Ws below Philadcl|)hia, and to the marshes along 
diij **'>1 shore, for the pur|M)se of feeding- on these little 
tlij^^'Is, some account of them may not be improjier in 
ti 
tb 
I Idaee 
The species ajipcars not to have been taken 
■'Ce of liy Tnrton in the latest edition of bis transla- 
Linuieus. From the nose to the insertion of 
lb,. ^kul it measures four inches; the tail is between 
li,,^*^’lnartcrs and an inch long, hairy, and usually curves 
id,, '“'Js ; the fore feet are short, five-toed, the inner 
ill, ':'‘i-y short, but furnished with a claw; hind feet 
iy| ! ‘"'e-toed • the ears are shorter than the fur, through 
•ge, they are scarcely noticeable ; the 
11,^1“ ‘s blunt ; the colour of the back is dark brown, 
fi>.d Ibe bellv. hoarv : the fur is long and extremely 
- far hack, and are 
short ; the eyes exceeding small. This mischievous 
“bo’s 
''OL. 
