Volume 3: 1771 Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica!
Strix
Strix, in ornithology, a genus belonging to the order of accipitres. The bill is hooked, but has no cere or wax; the nostrils are covered with fetaceous feathers; the head is very large, as are also the ears and eyes; and the tongue is bifid. There are twelve species, comprehending all the owl-kind. They are night-birds, and feed upon mice, bats, etc.