STRIX.
Legs and toes feathered; no ear tufts ; ear openings large and asymmetrical (right larger than left), and with a large operculum.
Strix nebulosa lapponica Thunberg. LAPLAND OWL. Swed. Lappuggla.
Above white, mottled and freckled with brown (which predominates), scapulars whiter ; facial disc prominent, grey barred brown, eye partly surrounded by black ; beneath white broadly streaked with brown, middle of chin and throat black.
Bill horn yellow. Iris light yellow. Wing 440-462. Tarsus about 60. Culinen 38-.42. Tail 310-330 (H.).
Residen/.—N. Norway, Lapland south to about 67 , N. Russia south to about 52', also W. Siberia. Moves south in small numbers in winter as far as Orenburg and E. Prussia. The typical form " S. n. nebulosa " is American.
Strix uralensis uralensis Pallas. URAL OWL. 9 General colour white broadly striated with dark brown ; disc grey, ruff mottled brown and white. Bill deep yellowish. Iris dark brown. Wing d Y 350-395. Tail 280-320 (H.). Resider!.—Scandinavia (rare in Lapland and Finland), N. Russia south to Volga, Simbirsk, Kazan and Urals (also W. Siberia), Baltic Provinces, E. Prussia, south to Carpathians, Transylvania, and Mountains of Bosnia and Albania. In winter occurs Orenburg ; rare Germany and N. Italy. A melanistic form, very dark brown throughout with black streaks, occurs in E. Alps, Carinthia and Bosnia.
Strix aluco aluco L. TAWNY OWL. Fr. Chat -huant ; Ger. Waldkauz ; I1al. Allocco ; Swed. Kattuggla.
d "Grey form." Above white, mottled, freckled, and streaked with dark brown ; outer webs of scapulars and some wing coverts white tinged with rufous ; beneath white, striated and barred with brown ; facial disc grey, ruff mottled brown and white. Bill pale horn, tip yellow. Iris dark brown. Wing d 252-290, 9 263-305. Tarsus 42-45. Bill 16-17. A rufous form also occurs, most often in northern countries ; in many the colour is almost chestnut. There is also a melanistic form, as in "uralensis" ; this has occurred in Hungary, Turkey, and Caucasus ; it has been described as "S. wilkowskii." esi dem% —British Isles ; Continental Europe (except Lapland and Finland) from 65' in Scandinavia and 61° in N. Russia south to Mediterranean and Caucasus, east to \V. Siberia ; also Asia Minor and Palestine. In winter occurs Morocco ; rare Egypt.
S. aluco mauritanica (Witherby). Resembles grey form of "aluco" but darker above and banding more prominent and broader. Wing 273-296 (H.).
Resident.—N. Morocco, N. Algeria, N. Tunisia.