Part 45

This species was described by Mr. Swainson, from specimens sent to Europe from Real del Monte, in Mexico, and we have seen others from various parts of that country.

The figure in the plate now before the reader, is that of an adult male, and is about two-thirds of the size of life.

The plant represented is Nemophila insignis, a native of California.

DESCRIPTION AND TECHNICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Genus Troglodytes. Vieill, Nouv. Dict., XXXIV. p. 505. (1819.) Troglodytes mexicanus. (Swainson.) Thryothorus mexicanus. Swainson, Zool. Ill., 2d series, I. p. (none), pl. 11.

Form. Bill, long, slender and curved; wings, short, rounded, with the fourth and fifth quills longest; tail, rather long; legs and feet, moderately strong; claws, large.

Dimensions. Total length (of skin) about 5½ inches; wing, 2½; tail, 2 inches.

Colors. Throat and neck before, silky-white. Entire upper parts, reddish-brown, with minute circular or irregularly shaped spots of pure white, which are inserted in others of very dark-brown, nearly black; quills, dark-brown, spotted on their outer webs with ferruginous; tail, bright ferruginous, with about eight regular transverse bands of black. Entire under parts (except the throat and neck before, as above), bright ferruginous, rather darker than that of the tail, nearly every feather having a small irregularly shaped spot of white, joined to another of black; bill, light at the base, darker towards the tip. Sexes very nearly alike.

Hab. California, New Mexico, Mexico. Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada., and Nat. Mus., Washington city.

Obs. This very handsome Wren is not properly to be regarded as a true Troglodytes, but belongs to a small group or sub-genus, to which M. Cabanis has given the name Salpinctes. It does not particularly resemble any other species.

SYNOPSIS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

III. FAMILY STRIGIDÆ. THE OWLS.

General form short and heavy, with the head apparently disproportionately large, and frequently furnished with ear-like tufts of feathers. Cavity of the ear, large; eyes, usually large, directed forwards, and in the greater number of species formed for seeing by twilight or in the night; bill, nearly concealed by projecting bristle-like feathers; wings, usually, rather long and formed for rather slow and noiseless flight, outer edges of primary quills fringed; tail, various, usually short; legs, generally, rather short, and in all the species, except those of the Asiatic genus Ketupa, Lesson, more or less feathered to the toes, generally densely; face surrounded by a more or less perfect disc or circle of short rigid feathers, which circle, with the large eyes directed forwards, gives to these birds an entirely peculiar and cat-like expression, indicative of their analogy to the Feline quadrupeds.

Female larger than the male. General organization adapted to the destruction of living animals in the night, or in the morning and evening twilight—midnight appears to be the noon of these birds, at which they are not disposed to activity.

Species of owls inhabit all parts of the world, most abundantly in America and Asia. There are about one hundred and forty described species, of which number, specimens of about one hundred and twenty are in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The species inhabiting the continent and islands of America are about forty.

I. SUB-FAMILY STRIGINÆ. THE TRUE OR TYPICAL OWLS.

Head, large; facial disc, perfect; bill, rather long; eyes, of moderate size; wings, long; tail, moderate; legs, rather long, clothed with short feathers; toes, long—size, medium, never very large; colors of plumage in the greater number of species, yellowish-fawn color and white.

I. GENUS STRIX. Linnæus Syst. Nat., I. p. 131. (1766.)

Head, large, without ear-tufts; cavity of the ear, large; bill, rather long, covered at the base by projecting, bristle-like feathers; eyes, rather small, and surrounded by radiated feathers; facial disc, perfect; wings, very long, pointed, and with the outer edges distinctly fringed; tarsi, long, thinly covered with feathers; toes, long, more or less covered with bristles; claws, long, moderately strong, curved, very sharp; tail, moderate, or rather long. Contains about twelve species of all parts of the world, nearly all of which resemble in a greater or less measure Strix flammea, of Europe, and Strix pratincola, of North America.

1. Strix pratincola. Bonap. Comp. List., p. 7. (1838.) The Barn Owl. Strix americana. Aud. Orn. Biog. II. p. 421 (1834, but not of Gmelin, 1788).

Wilson Am. Orn., VI. pl. 50., fig. 2. Aud. B. of Am. pl. 171, octavo edition, I. pl. 34. Nat. Hist. State of New York Birds, pl. 13, fig. 28.

Typical, and strictly exhibiting the generic characters.

Adult. Entire plumage above, pale fawn color, or tawny brownish-yellow, in some specimens nearly white, mottled with dark-gray and white, especially on the back and wing coverts and outer webs of the quills, which mottling gives the predominating color of those parts to many specimens; nearly every feather with a small subterminal black spot succeeded by another of white. Quills, fawn-colored, or pale reddish-yellow, varying much in shade in different specimens, and fading into nearly white on the inner webs; primaries with about five irregular transverse bars of brownish-black. Under parts, generally pale fawn color, but in some specimens, pure white, with small sagittate, lanceolate or circular spots of brownish-black; tibiæ and tarsi similar in color to the other under parts, but frequently unspotted and pure white; inferior coverts of the wing and tail, white; tail, same color as quills and crossed by four or five bars of dark-brown; face, white, with central spots of dark-chestnut nearly encircling the eyes, disc feathers tipped with dark fawn-color and brownish-black, forming a very conspicuous margin, especially on the lower part of the face; bill, toes and claws, light-yellowish; irides, brown. Distinctive colors of sexes not well understood, but they are, probably, nearly alike.

Dimensions. Female, total length, about 16 inches; wing, 13; tail, 5½ inches. Male, smaller.

Hab. The whole of North America, except the northern regions; more abundant in the south. Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy), Vermont (Dr. Brewer, Mr. Z. Thompson), Massachusetts (Dr. Emmons), Oregon (U. S. Ex. Exp., Vincennes), California (Dr. Heermann), New Mexico (Dr. Henry), South Carolina (Mr. Audubon, Prof. Gibbes), Texas, Mexico (Lieut. Couch). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. This handsome species of Owl may be regarded as most properly a southern and western species, being of rather rare occurrence north of Virginia, though it breeds occasionally in the Northern States. It is nearly related to Strix flammea of Europe, but is larger. It very much resembles also several other species of various parts of the world, such as S. perlata of South America, S. furcata of the island of Cuba, and others. Naturalists have, in fact, established species on very slender characters, amongst the owls of this group. It is a very harmless bird, resorting in the south to buildings and outhouses, and subsisting on small animals. Different specimens vary considerably in shade of color and somewhat in dimensions.

II. SUB-FAMILY BUBONINÆ. THE HORNED OWLS.

Size, various, in some species very large, in others, small; head, large, always furnished with conspicuous ear-tufts, facial disc incomplete in the upper part; legs, feet and claws usually strong. This division contains numerous species of all parts of the world, except Australia.