. A history of British birds . Herr Robert Collett of Christiania incommunicating to the Editor a description of the skull ofthis species, together with an illustrative specimen, enableshim to mention briefly the extraordinary fact that theasymmetry displayed by the region of the ears in Teng-malms Owl extends to the configuration of the skull. Ithad already been stated by Dr. Kaup (Transactions of theZoological Society, vol. iv. p. 206) that the ear-orifices inthe Owls of this genus were asymmetrical; but, so far as theEditor is aware, no one had suspected that the irregularitywas more than s
. A history of British birds . Herr Robert Collett of Christiania incommunicating to the Editor a description of the skull ofthis species, together with an illustrative specimen, enableshim to mention briefly the extraordinary fact that theasymmetry displayed by the region of the ears in Teng-malms Owl extends to the configuration of the skull. Ithad already been stated by Dr. Kaup (Transactions of theZoological Society, vol. iv. p. 206) that the ear-orifices inthe Owls of this genus were asymmetrical; but, so far as theEditor is aware, no one had suspected that the irregularitywas more than skin-deep. Herr Colletts observations onthis subject will doubtless be immediately laid before thepublic, and it would be unfair to the discoverer of this, atpresent, unique feature in the structure of birds, to antici-pate them here. * Tlie kte Sir William Milner recorded (Zool. p. 7104) the supposed occurrence,near Keverley in Yorkshire, of another allied American species, the N. acadka. 158 ACCIPITRES. STRTGID-^.. Asio OTUS (Liuuaeus*).THE LONG-EARED OWL. Otus vulgaris^. Asio, Bnsson+.—Beak decurved from the base; cei-e large; under mandiblenotched. Nostrils oval, oblique. Facial disk complete. Conch of the large, with a semicircular operculum running the whole length in front,and a raised margin behind ; auditory opening asymmetrical. Wings long; thesecond quill-feather generally the longest. Legs and toes feathered to the furnished with two tufts, more or less elongated. The Long-eaeed Owl, from the variety and beauty ofthe marldngs on its plumage, is a very handsome species, * Strix otus Linnfeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. 12, i. p. 132 (1766).t Fleming, British Animals, p. 60 (1S28).t Ornithologie, i. p. 677 (1760). LONG-KARED OWL. 159 and by uo means uncommon in most wooded owing to the general increase of plantations, andespecially of those formed of the evergreen firs, it is probablyyear by year growing more numerous through
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsaun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
