82 CHECK LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



473. Asio accipitrirms (Pall.) Newt. B 52. c 321. R 395. 



Short-eared Owl. 



474. Strix cinerea Gm. B 53. c 322. R 399. 



Great Gray Owl. 



475. Strix cinerea lapponica (Retz.) Cones. B . c . R 399o. (!A.) 



Lapland Great Gray Owl. 



476. Strix nebulosa Forst. B 54. c 323. R 397. 



Barred Owl. 



477. Stris nebulosa alleni Ridg. B . c . R 397. 



Florida Barred OwL 



478. Strix occidentalis (Xant.) Ridg. B . c 324. R 398. 



Western Barred Owl. 



479. Nyctea scandiaca (L.) Newt. B GI. c 325. R 406. 



Snowy OwL 



sufficiently distinct from the European bird. The genus Otus is from the Lat. otus, Gr. 

 &TOS or &r6s, the eared owl; Gr. ovs or 3>s, genitive COTO'S, an ear; from o5ay, a handle. 

 (See Bubo, No. 462, and compare /3vas and /Sous.) The genus Asio would appear to be 

 eligible for the group of long-eared owls commonly called Otus of late years. It is 

 quite likely that the most available specific name for our bird is americanus (Stcph.), as 

 Ridgway has it. 



473. A. ac-cip-It-ri'-nus. Lat. accipitrinus, accipitrine, hawk-like ; see Accipiter, No. 494. 



This stands as Braclujotus pnlustris in the orig. ed. But both the eared owls may well 

 be put in one genus, and the name accipitrinus has priority over brachyotus. This last 

 word is literal Greek for " short-eared." 



474. Strix cm-gr'-g-a. Lat. strix, stryx, or strynx, or Gr. ffrpty, a screech-owl ; from strido, I 



screech, utter shrill strident sounds of any kind ; Gr. a-rpCfa ; sibilated from rpifa. The 

 same root is seen in the English strident, stridulous. Lat. cinereus, ashy ; cinis, ashes. See 

 Harporhynchus, No. 22. 



This stands as Syrnium Jnpponicum var. cinereum in the orig. ed., by a blunder ; for the 

 latter name has priority over the former. The late rectifications made by Newton in 

 the genera of owls cause Strix to be referred to the common Brown Owl of Europe, 

 strictly congeneric with our Barred Owl. If the great Gray Owls be considered generi- 

 cally distinct, they may be called SCOTIAPTEX. Mr. Ridgway uses the genus Ulula for 

 this group, which he separates from Strix proper. 



475. S. c. lap-pon'-I-ca. To Lapland. 



This European conspecies of the great Gray Owl has lately been attributed to North 

 America by Ridgway : see Bull. Nutt. Club, iii, 1878, p. 37 ; Alaska. Not in orig. ed. 



476. S. neb-u-lo'-sa. Lat. nebulosus, nebulous, misty, foggy, in the sense here of dark clouded 



color; from the Gr. j/e^eA?? (ve<f>os), a cloud. So, also, Lat. nubes, a cloud; nubo, I 

 marry, nubilis, marriageable; the bride being veiled (nupta) for the nuptials. 

 This is Syrnium nebulosnm of the orig. ed. 



477. S. n. al'-len-i. To J. A. Allen, of Cambridge, Mass. See Pipilo, No. 302. 



Not in the orig. ed. ; since described. See Ridg., Pr. Nat. Mus., ii, 1880, p. 8. 



478. S. 6c-cl-den-ta'-lls. Lat. occidentalis, occidental, western, where the sun sets ; occido, I 



fall down (ob and cado, not occido, I slay). 

 This is Syrnium occidental of the orig. ed. 



479. Nyc'-te-a scan-di-a'-ca. Gr. NVKTSUS, Lat. Nycteus, a proper name ; as an adjective, noc- 



turnal ; Lat. nox, Gr. vv, night. There are very many derivatives, of which Nyctala is 

 one. Lat. Scandiaca, Skandinavian, relating to Scandia or Scandinavia. 



