THE BARN-OWLS. 
109 
entirely white ; face pure white, with a patch of rufous in front 
of the eye : feathers of the ruff glistening white, thos^e on the 
upper-part washed with orange, the lower leathers sub-termin- 
ally orange with a tiny apical margin of blackish, rather more 
distinct on the gular portion of the ruff ; rest of under surface 
of body pure white, as well as the thighs and under tail- 
coverts ; under wing-coverts also white, the lower primary 
coverts greyish, like the lower surface of the quills, which are 
greyish-white underneath ; bill nearly white j claws brown ; ins 
black. Total length, 13 inches; wing, 11-9; tail, 5-0; tarsus, 
2 ' 2 , 
Adult Female.— Similar to the male. Total length, 13 inches ; 
wing, iT'o. ,■ 1 v 
lire above description refers to the ordinary Barn-Owl as it 
is usually seen in England ; but on the continent of Europe a 
darker form occurs, remarkable for its dark grey upper suilace, 
whereon very few of the lighter markings and spots are dis- 
cernible, while the under surface is also deep orange, with 
numerous “ arrow-head ’’-shaped spots of dusky-brown. 1 his 
dark form is occasionally found in Great Britain, but very 
rarely and these individuals may be visitors from the Conti- 
nent; perhaps from Schleswig, where only the dark phase of 
the Barn-Owl is met with. Mr. De Winton recently pre- 
sented to the British Museum a pair of birds from Workum 
in Friesland, which proved to be a male and female of the 
(lark-phased Barn-Owl, showing that the difference between 
the li'>-ht and dark forms is not dependent on age or sex, as 
indeed is known from both males and females of our British 
bird being white-breasted. 
Nestling.— Covered with pure white down, the face slightly 
rufescent. 
Range in Great Britain.— The Barn-Owl is found all over Great 
Britain, and breeds in all the counties of England and 
sparingly also in every county of Ireland. In Scotland, too, 
it is found nesting in small numbers as far north as Caith- 
ness and in the Inner Hebrides, but in decreasing numbers 
beyond the Lowlands. 
Range outside the British Islands. — As already stated, the Barn- 
Owl is nearly cosmopolitan, but it does not range very lar 
