Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/768

 754: OWL turnal, preying upon insects and small mam- mals and birds; it deposits its eggs in the abandoned nest of other birds, in a fissure of a rock, a hole in a tree, or a hollow in the American Long-eared Owl (Otns Wilsonianus). ground ; its cry is plaintive, consisting of two or three prolonged notes repeated at intervals. The European long-eared owl (0. vulgaris, Flem.) bears a strong resemblance to the Amer- ican species, and is one of the most abundant of the family in England, where it remains all the year round ; it is intricately dappled with dark brown and black upon pale brown, and is a very handsome bird ; it frequents old ivy- covered towers and trees, where it remains during the day ; it rarely makes a nest of its own, using those of the crow or squirrel. The American short-eared owl has been made, with others, into the genus brachyotus (Gould), characterized by inconspicuous ear tufts ; this species (B. Cassini, Brewer) is about 15 in. long, with an extent of wings of 3 ft. ; the plumage is reddish buff, streaked longitudinally with dark brown, the tail being of the latter color barred and tipped with reddish buff ; it is found in North America from Greenland to Cuba and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in the eastern states in the winter preferring the vicinity of marshes and meadows ; it is very fond of remaining on the ground, on which it advances by long leaps. The European short-eared owl (B. palustris, Gould), 16 in. long and 40 in alar extent, much resembles the preceding species ; it seeks its food by day, even in full sunlight, pursuing pigeons and domestic fowls into the farm yard, though feeding chiefly upon mice. In the Asiatic genus ketupa (Lesson) the long tarsi are cov- ered with scales instead of feathers; the K. flavipes (Hodgs.) is somewhat diurnal, .and plunges into streams in pursuit of fish and crabs. In the third subfamily, the sy mince or gray owls, the head is large, with very small and concealed or no ear tufts ; the facial disk nearly perfect, eyes small, wings rather short, and tarsi and toes generally fully feathered. Though this subfamily contains some of the largest owls, the size is usually moderate and sometimes even small. In the genus syrnium (Sav.), characterized by large size, and long, wide, and rounded tail, belongs the great gray owl (8. cinereum, Aud.), the largest in North America, and one of the largest of the family, about 30 in. long, with an alar extent of 4 ft. ; the prevailing color is ashy brown above mot- tled and barred with ashy white, the under parts of the latter color, with longitudinal brown stripes on the breast, and transverse ones of the same on the abdomen ; quills and tail brown, with five wide bands of ashy white ; bill yellow. It is found in North America from New Jersey to Hudson bay; is rather diurnal in habit, frequenting wooded districts, and preying on hares and other rodents; its cry resembles that of the mottled owl. The barred owl (S. nebulosum, Gray) is about 20 in. long and 40 in alar extent ; the bill is yel- low ; the general color above is light reddish brown, largely spotted with white on the back and wing coverts ; wings and tail tipped with Barred Owl (Syrnium nebulosum). grayish white ; below pale brownish red, mark- ed on the neck and upper breast with trans- verse and below this with longitudinal brown streaks; abdomen yellowish white; plumage, as in the preceding species, remarkably soft and downy. It is found in North America east of the Mississippi, especially in the south- ern states, in retired woods, even in the day- time; its loud discordant cry of "whah, whah, whah-aa," frequently repeated at evening twi- light, has a ludicrous sound, compared by Au- dubon to the affected laugh of some fashionable people ; its odd and lively movements entitle it to the name of the "buffoon of the woods." It preys on half -grown chickens, young hares and rabbits, squirrels, mice, small birds, and frogs ; it begins to lay in the middle of March in a hollow tree, and raises a single brood in a season ; in captivity it makes an excellent mouser ; as it often appears in the daytime, it