CHAPTER XI. 
The Owls and Ospreys,— Orders Strides and Pandiones. 
The well-known and peculiar physiognomy characterising most of the owls renders 
the group as readily distinguishable as that of the parrots. This characteristic 
“ owl-face ” is due, firstly, to the forward direction of the eyes ; and, secondly, to a 
circular disc of radiating feathers, more or less distinctly developed round each eye, 
and which may be bounded by a ruff of closely-set feathers. In common with many 
diurnal birds of prey, the owls have a short, stout beak, of 
which the upper ridge is strongly curved, and the tip deflected 
in a perpendicular direction; at its base is a cere, usually 
covered with stiff bristles concealing the nostrils. The feet 
are furnished with strong, curved, and sharp claws, and have 
the fourth toe reversible. The metatarsus, or cannon-bone, 
although longer than in the parrots, is comparatively short and 
wide, with the upper part of its front surface deeply excavated, 
and usually furnished with a bony bridge over the outer part 
of the hollow ; at its lower end the three pulley-like trochlese, 
when viewed from below, are arranged in an arch. In the 
tibia, or leg-bone, there is no bony bridge at the lower end, as 
in most parrots. The short skull has no well-marked hinge at 
the root of the beak; the palate is of the bridged, or desmo- 
gnathous type; and the lower mandible has a short and shallow 
symphysis, and its angle is not produced behind the surface 
for articulation with the quadrate bone. The oil-gland is pre¬ 
sent, but naked. 
The foregoing characters, especially those of the toes and 
leg-bones, serve to distinguish the owls from the parrots on 
the one hand, and the diurnal birds of prey on the other; but the two are very 
closely connected in these respects by the ospreys. In addition to the features 
noticed, owls, as a rule, are characterised by the large size and dense feathering of 
their heads, the softness and fluffiness of the whole plumage, and their big, round 
eyes; the feet being usually feathered down to the toes. The ears are usually of 
large size, and are often protected by an operculum or lid; from which we may 
infer that the sense of hearing in these birds is highly developed. Many owls are 
furnished with tufts or crests of feathers above the eyes, popularly known as horns 
or ears, but more properly termed ear-tufts. The coloration is usually a mottled 
blending of various sombre tints; bright colours being, as might be expected in 
1 The bridge over the hollow at the upper end is imperfect. 
THE RIGHT CANNON-BONE, 
OR METATARSUS, OF 
THE SNOWY OWE . 1 
