Part 48

Very fine specimens of this Owl are contained in the large and highly interesting collection of birds made in Chili, by Lieut. Gilliss, of the United States Navy. It appears to inhabit the plains on the Pacific, and nearly all the specimens are of a deeper shade of fulvous than is usually met with in those of the North, though we have seen specimens of the latter precisely similar to them.

III. SUB-FAMILY SYRNIINÆ. THE GREY OWLS.

Head large, with very small and concealed ear-tufts, or entirely without; facial disc nearly complete; eyes rather small; wings rather short; tarsi and toes generally fully feathered. Size various.

I. GENUS SYRNIUM. Savigny, Nat. Hist. Egypt, I. p. 112. (1809.)

Size usually large; head large, without ear-tufts; facial disc nearly perfect; bill rather strong, wide at base, curved from its base; wings long, somewhat rounded, fourth and fifth quills longest; tail long, wide, rounded; legs moderately long, robust; tarsi and toes densely covered with short feathers; claws long, curved, very sharp. A genus containing fifteen to twenty species of various parts of the world, principally northern.

1. Syrnium cinereum. (Gm.) The Great Gray Owl. The Cinereous Owl. Strix cinerea. Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I. p. 291. (1788.) Strix lapponica. Retzius, Faun. Suec., p. 79. (1800.) Strix fuliginosa. Shaw, Gen. Zool., VII. p. 244. (1809.) Strix barbata. Pallas, Zool. Ross., I. p. 318. (1811.) Strix acclamator. Bartram, Trav., p. 289. (1790.)?

Fauna., Bor. Am. Birds, pl. 31. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 351: Oct. ed., I. pl. 35. Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 13, fig. 29. Pallas, Zool. Ross., Birds, pl. 2. Gould, B. of Europe, I. pl. 42.

Large; head very large; eyes small; tail long. Adult. Entire upper parts smoky-brown, nearly every feather more or less mottled and transversely barred with ashy-white; under parts smoky-brown; feathers on the breast edged with ashy-white, and on the abdomen edged and transversely barred with ashy-white, in some specimens all the feathers are ashy-white, with wide longitudinal stripes of smoky-brown; legs brown, with numerous ashy-white transverse stripes; quills brown, with about five wide irregular transverse bands of ashy-white, in some specimens tinged with reddish-yellow, these bands mottled with brown; tail brown, with about five wide irregular bands of ashy-white, which bands are mottled with brown; throat black; discal feathers on the neck tipped with yellowish-white; eye nearly encircled by a black spot; radiating feathers around the eye with regular transverse narrow bars of dark brown and ashy-white; bill pale yellow; claws pale, dark at their tips. Sexes alike.

Dimensions. Female?—Total length, 26 inches; wing, 18; tail, 12 inches.

Hab. Northern North America. Northern Europe and Asia. Breeds in the vicinity of Montreal, Canada (Dr. Hall); Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy); Oregon (Dr. Townsend); Vermont (Mr. Thompson). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. This is the largest known species of the Owls which inhabit North America, and is restricted on the Atlantic to the Northern States. In Western America its range is not known, but it was brought from Oregon by Dr. Townsend. In the valuable “Sketch of the Zoology of the vicinity of Montreal, Canada,” by Archibald Hall, M. D., the manuscript of which has been kindly and most opportunely placed in our hands by that gentleman, it is stated that this fine bird is a resident species in that district.

2. Syrnium nebulosum. (Forster.) The barred Owl. Strix nebulosa. Forster. Trans. Philos. Soc., London, LXII. p. 386, 424. (1772.) “Strix varius. Bartram, MSS.” Barton, Frag. Nat. Hist. Penna, p. 11. (1799.) Strix chichictli. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 296. (1788.)? Strix fernandica. Shaw, Gen. Zool., VII. p. 263. (1809.)?

Vieill., Ois. d’Am., Sept., pl. 17. Wilson, Am. Orn., IV. pl. 33, fig. 2. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 46; Oct. ed., I. pl. 36. Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 10, fig. 21. Gould. B. of Europe, I. pl. 46.

Smaller than the preceding; head large; tail moderate or rather long. Adult. Entire plumage above light ashy-brown, in some specimens with a tinge of fulvous, every feather with transverse narrow bands of white, wider on the back and most numerous on the head and hind part of the neck; plumage of the breast with transverse bands of brown and of white; flanks and abdomen ashy-white, every feather with a longitudinal central stripe of brown; tarsi and toes ashy-white, tinged with fulvous, frequently unspotted, but in some specimens mottled and transversely striped with dark brown; quills brown, with about six or seven transverse bars nearly pure white on the outer webs, and on the inner ashy fulvous; tail light brown, with about five transverse bars of white, generally tinged with reddish-yellow; a black spot in front of the eye; discal feathers tipped with white, and finely barred with black, radiating feathers around the eye ashy-white, with stripes of brown behind the eye; throat dark brown; bill pale yellow; claws horn-color; irides bluish-black. Sexes alike.

Dimensions. Female.—About 20 inches; wing, 13½; tail, 9 inches. Male.—Smaller.

Hab. The whole of North America. Accidental in Northern Europe. Canada (Dr. Hall); Minnesota (Mr. Pratten); Texas, New Mexico (Dr. Woodhouse); South Carolina (Prof. Gibbes); Florida (Mr. Audubon). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. A species frequently met with in nearly all parts of the United States, especially in the winter. Occasionally we have seen specimens in the woods, that showed no signs of alarm whatever on being approached, and apparently not at all familiar with man nor with the sound of the gun. During some winters it is abundant in Pennsylvania, probably having migrated from farther north. When wounded, this species seeks safety by hopping away quite awkwardly, showing nothing of the courage of the Great Horned Owl, or even of the comparatively small long-cared species (Otus Wilsonianus), both of which will stand up manfully and defend themselves to the best of their ability, while life lasts.

II. GENUS NYCTALE. Brehm, Isis, 1828, p. 1271.

SCOTOPHILUS. Swains. Lardner’s Cab. Cy. Birds, II. p. 217. (1837.)

Size small; head large, with no visible ear-tufts; bill moderate, nearly concealed by projecting plumes; facial disc nearly perfect; wings moderate or rather long; tail short; tarsi and toes short and fully feathered. A group containing not more than five species of small Owls, four of which are American, and the other European.

1. Nyctale Richardsoni. Bonap. Comp. List., p. 7. (1838.) Richardson’s Owl. “Strix Tengmalmi. Gm.” Aud., Orn. Biog., IV., p. 559, and other American authors.

Fauna, Bor. Am. Birds, pl. 32. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 380, figs. 1, 2; Oct. ed., I. pl. 32.

The largest of this genus; wings rather long, third quill longest; tail rather long. Adult. Entire upper parts pale reddish-brown, tinged with olive, nearly all the feathers having large partially concealed spots of white, especially on the back part of the head, neck behind, scapulars, and rump; head in front with numerous spots of white; face white, a black spot in front of the eye; throat with brown stripes; under parts ashy-white, every feather with a longitudinal stripe of pale reddish-brown, on the breast some irregular transverse stripes of brown, and in some specimens the white on the sides and flanks assuming the form of large circular spots; legs and toes pale yellowish, nearly white, sometimes irregularly barred and spotted with brown; quills brown, with small spots of white on their outer edges, and large spots of the same on their inner-webs, somewhat disposed to form transverse stripes, very obvious when seen from below; tail brown, every feather with about ten pairs of white spots; bill light yellowish horn-color; claws dark; iris yellow.

Dimensions. Male.—Total length, 10½ inches; wing, 7½; tail, 4½ inches. Female.—Larger.

Hab. Northern North America. Maine (Mr. Audubon); Canada (Dr. Hall); Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy); Oregon (Dr. Townsend). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada., and Nat. Mus., Washington city.

Obs. Entirely a northern species, which, though common in the vicinity of Hudson’s Bay, and on the Saskatchewan, may be regarded as of rare occurrence within the limits of the eastern United States. It is, however, found more frequently on the Pacific. We have never known an instance of this bird having been captured in Pennsylvania. It much resembles the European Nyctale funerea (which has also been extensively called Strix Tengmalmi), but is larger and different in other respects.

2. Nyctale acadica. (Gmelin.) The Acadian Owl. The Saw-Whet. Strix acadica. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 296. (1788.) Strix acadiensis. Lath., Ind. Orn., I. p. 65. (1790.) “Strix passerina. Linn.” Wilson, Am. Orn., IV. p. 66. Strix Dalhousiei. Hall MSS. Macgillivray ed. of Cuv. Reg. An. Birds, pl. 8, fig. 3, name on plate (Edinburg, 1839).

Lath., Gen. Syn., I. pl. 5, fig. 2. Wilson, Am. Orn., IV., pl. 34, fig. 1. Aud., B. of Am., pl. 199; Oct. ed., I pl. 33. Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 11, fig. 23.