northward as lat. 67°; but lat. 64° is the limit assigned for
its breeding-range both in that country and in Sweden, where
it is, in Prof. Nilsson’s opinion, the commonest species of
Owl. Whether it has occurred in Finland seems doubtful.
In Russia, according to Pallas, it is much less frequent than
in the rest of Europe, but though seen by him in the southern
provinces was never observed in Siberia. Major Irby saw
it two or three times in the Crimea. Yon der Miihle and
Dr. Lindermayer state that it occurs in Roumelia, the latter
adding that it breeds in Greece. Strickland procured it
at Smyrna, and Canon Tristram states that he saw many
about the celebrated cedars of Lebanon and heard its hoot
night after night in the forests of Gilead, where its nest
was found. The assertion that it is common in Egypt is
probably incorrect, but Loclie gives it as breeding in the
wooded parts of Algeria, and Mr. Tyrwhitt Drake found it
in numbers in caves at Tetuan. In Portugal, according to
Mr. A. C. Smith, it is nowhere common, hut in the higher
wooded districts of southern Spain Mr. Saunders says it is
not uncommon, and this also seems to be the case in Sicily.
I t does not appear to be found in Sardinia ; but it occurs
in Italy and thence in suitable situations and with greater
or less frequency throughout the remainder of the continent.
The adult male has the beak whitish-horn colour: the
eyes large and fu ll; the irides very dark brown, almost
b lack: the facial disk greyish-white, defined by a dark
brown marginal line ; top of the head, neck, hack and wings,
a mixture of ash-grey, mottled with two shades of brown;
a descending line of white spots at the edge of the scapulars,
and another on the end of the wing-coverts; primaries
barred with dull white and dark brown, the wings only
reaching half-way down the t a i l ; upper surface of the tail-
feathers barred with two shades of brown, the middle pair
being the most uniform in colour. The under surface of the
body greyish-wliite, mottled and streaked longitudinally with
pale and dark brown ; under tail-coverts white; under surface
of tail-feathers greyish-white, barred transversely with
reddish-brown; legs and toes covered with short greyishwhite
feathers; claws horn-white at the base, darker towards
the tip. The whole length about fifteen inches. The prominent
pink edges of the eyelids give this Owl a singular
appearance.
The female is larger, but when perfectly adult, resembles
the male in colour. Younger birds are often more ferruginous.
The plumage first assumed by the nestlings is drab
or inclining to grey. British examples seem to be certainly
more rufous than those which are commonly obtained on the
Continent, in some parts of which grey birds decidedly predominate
in number, if they do not occur exclusively. I t
may be observed that it is common to many species of Owls
to have both a rufous and a grey or brown plumage, and it
is not always possible to account for the discrepancy through
sex or age.
Messrs. Buckley and Elwes mention a “ perfectly black
Owl” in the collection of Mr. Robson at Ortakeuey, near
Constantinople, which they consider to have been a melanite
variety of this species. Mr. Gurney is of opinion that
Algerian examples exceed in size those from Europe and
Western Asia.
The vignette represents the sternum of this species, which
when compared with that of the Falcon previously figured,
shews a great deficiency in strength. The keel has but
little depth, the sides are narrow, while the furcula is especially
slender and weak. In some Owls the median portion
of the furcula is not ossified, and the lateral portions are
only connected by a ligament.