54 
U. S. P. R R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
brownish black, fulvous, and ashy, white ; the former predominating. Breast pale fulvous, with longitudinal stripes of brownish 
black ; abdomen white ; every feather with a wide longitudinal stripe, and with transverse stripes of brownish black ; legs and 
toes pale fulvous, usually unspotted, but frequently with irregular narrow transverse stripes of dark brown. Eye nearly 
encircled with black ; other feathers of the face ashy white, with minute lines of black ; ear tufts brownish black, edged with 
fulvous and ashy white ; quills pale fulvous at their bases, with irregular transverse bands of brown ; inferior coverts of the 
wing pale fulvous, frequently nearly white ; the larger widely tipped with black ; tail brown, with several irregular trans¬ 
verse bands of ashy fulvous, which are mottled, as on the quills ; bill and claws dark ; irides yellow. 
Total length, female, about fifteen inches ; wing 11 to Ilf ; tail 6 inches. Male, rather smaller. 
Hab. —The whole of temperate North America. Spec, in Nat. Mus., Washington, and Mus. Acad., Philada. 
One of the most numerous of the owls of the Atlantic States, and not much less so on the 
Pacific. It hears a strong resemblance to the European Otus vulgaris, with which it has been 
considered identical by some American authors. We find nothing unusual in the specimens of 
the present collection, all being quite identical with the well known bird of the eastern States. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. No. 
Sex and age. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Original No. 
Collected by— 
Measurements. 
Remarks. 
Length. 
Extent. 
Wing. 
9143 
9144 
9145 
9146 
9142 
8243 
4536 
4538 
4537 
6916 
8635 
9 
9 
3 
3 
3 
9 
John Day’s river, W. T .. 
Nov’r 12, 1853 
Gov. 1.1. Stevens.. 
Lt.W. P. Trowbridge 
19 
Dr. T C. Henry.... 
Eye with orange bor¬ 
der. 
Eyes yellow. 
Camp 107, New Mexico .. 
Jan’y 28, 1854 
Lt. Whipple. 
Gov. Stevens.. 
Wm. M. Magraw... 
57 
225 
Kennerly and Mbll- 
hausen.. 
3 
3 
9 
100 miles E. Ft. Kearney. 
Oct’r 28, 1857 
Oct’r 8, 1855 
Dr. Cooper. 
14.50 
37.50 
12.00 
Iris yellow; bill bluish; 
feet gray. 
Oct’r 21, 1855 
Selkirk settlement, Il.B.T. 
BRACHYOTUS, Gould. 
Brachyotus, Gocld, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1837, p. 10. 
Ear tufts very short and inconspicuous. General form rather strong ; wings long ; tail moderate ; legs rather long, which, 
with the toes, are fully covered with short feathers ; claws long, very sharp, and rather slender. Head moderate ; eyes rather 
small, surrounded by radiating feathers ; facial disc imperfect on the forehead and above the eyes ; tail moderate. 
This genus contains four or five species only, the two best known of which are the European 
Brachyotus palustris and the succeeding. 
BRACHYOTUS CASSINII, Brewer. 
The Short Eared Owl. 
Brachyotus Cassinii, Brewer, Proc. Boston Soc. N. H. 
Strix brachyotus, Forster, Phil. Trans. London, LXII, p. 384, (1772.) 
Brachyotus palustris americanus, Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 51, (1849.) 
Figures. —Wilson Am. Orn. IV, pi. 33, fig. 3 ; Aud B. of Am. pi. 410 : Oct. ed. I, pi .38 ; Nat. Hist. New York, Birds, 
pi. 12, fig. 27. 
