274 
NYCTALE AC AD 1C A. 
The Mottled Owls are not migratory, for their thick plumage forms an ample protec¬ 
tion against the severe cold of even the Northern-winters and, unlike the other Owls, they 
do not wander much, each pair spending their lives in a particular locality. 
GENUS II. NYCTALE. THE SMALL OWLS. 
Gen. Ch. The sternum is only slightly arched , with a nearly straight heel which does not equal in height one half the 
width of the sternum. Outer marginal indentations, narrower than the inner. Coracoids, not very long, being quite equal 
in length to the top of the heel, but are not set on at a wide angle. Furcula, not well 'developed, for it is not ossified its entire 
length. Ear tufts, present but not well developed. Tail, short, but little longer than one half the length of the wings which 
are considerably elongated. 
Members of this genus are quite small but the plumage is long and downy. The eyes are not large and are yellow in . 
color. The sterno-trachealis is thin, and there is a slender bronchialis, but no other laryngeal muscles. As in other 
■Owls, the tympaniform membrane is present and although there is a thin os transversale it does not support a semilunar 
membrane. The oesophagus is nearly straight, being a little wider in the middle, and opens into a quite large proventric- 
ulus with simple, oval glands arranged in a wide zonular band which measures -50, in Acadica, from which this and the fol¬ 
lowing dimensions are taken. The stomach is of medium size, somewhat cuboid in form, with thin, but soft, walls. The 
fold of the duodenum is long, inclosing a wide pancreas which, however, only extends half its length. The coeca are not very 
long, 1-28 in length, small near the intestine, measuring - 05 in diameter, with the blind ends dilated into balloon-shaped 
sacs, •15 in diameter. The spleen is an elliptical 'body lying directly on the proventriculus. The left lobe of the liver is a 
little larger than the right. There are two species within our limits. 
NYCTALE ACADICA. 
Acadian Owl. 
Nyctale Acadica G.u., Syst. Nat.. I; 1788, 29.6. 
Nyctale albifrons Shaws, Nat. Misc. V.; 1794. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch. Form, short and compact. Size, small. Sternum, not stout. The marginal indentations are quite deep. 
Tongue, rather thick and fleshy, horny at the tip which is rounded and slightly bifid. Ear tufts, very short. Bill and 
claws, not long, the former is stout but the. latter are slender. 
Color. Adult. Above, including upper wing and tail coverts, uniform reddish-brown with a narrow central line of 
yellowish-white on the feathers of the top of the head and on sides of face. One half of the outer feathers of the scapula- 
ries, forming lines, spots on wing coverts and basal portion of feathers back of neck, white. Wings, reddish-brown, spot¬ 
ted on the outer and inner webs of primaries and on the outer webs of secondaries with white. Tail, reddish-brown with 
each feather narrowly tipped with white and marked on both webs with’three pairsof white spots. Face, dusky, yellowish 
and white, mixed, the former color predominating around the eye and the latter on the sides of the bill and in a line to the 
ear tufts, which are reddish-brown streaked with yellowish. Beneath, white, with each feather, excepting on the chin 
and abdomen, centrally lined with pale, reddish-brown, but much more widely on the breast. Under wing coverts, pale, red¬ 
dish-brown. Under tail coverts, white, with central stripes of reddish-brown. Tibia and tarsus,-pale reddish-brown, un¬ 
spotted. 
Young. With the face, forehead and disk, very nearly white and color above much redder, otherwise similar to the 
adult. 
Young of the year. Above of the same color as the young, but with no traces of white, excepting that the scapularies 
show the peculiar markings which are, however of a pale yellowish. Forehead, throat, neck, and breast, colored like the 
back. Remainder of under parts, including under tail coverts, pale reddish-brown. Under wing coverts, pale rose color. 
Wings, tail, tibia, and tarsus, as in the adult. 
Nestlings. Are, at first, covered with a reddish down, but gradually assume the young plumage. Iris and soles of 
feet, yellow, claws, dark-brown, cere, greenish, in all stages. Sexes, similar in color. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Specimens of the same age and sex are quite uniform in coloration. The plumage of the young of the year is quite sin¬ 
gular and is the albifons of authors, but it can readily be distinguished by the color of the wing and tail which are always 
similar to those of the adult. Readily known, in the adult stage, from the succeeding species by the reddish-brown color, 
and in all stages, by the three bars of spots on the tail, and form all others, by the small size, absence of any prominent ear 
tufts, together with the color as described. Distributed, as a constant resident, throughout North America to the Arctic 
Circle. 
