Zoological Society. 405 



Elanus melanopterus of Africa, is evidently distinct from that species; 

 an unerring difference may be found in the jet black spot on the 

 white part of the under surface of the wing ; for this hitherto unde- 

 scribed species I would propose the name of notatus. 



"One species of Harrier only, but a very interesting one, inasmuch 

 as it represents there the Circus rufits of Europe, has come into my 

 possession. I believe the female of this species to be the Circus affi- 

 nis of Messrs. Jardine and Selby ; but as the male has not yet been 

 characterised, and moreover differs very much from the female, to 

 which alone the name of affinis would apply, I propose to drop that 

 appellation and to give that of Jardinei instead. 



" On examining the family of Strigidce or Owls, we cannot but ob- 

 serve the deficiency which exists in some of the subgenera, and the 

 abundance of others ; thus while we have never seen an}' birds be- 

 longing to the genera Bubo, Otus, Scops, &c, we have numerous 

 species of the restricted genera Strix and Noctua : the name of Noc- 

 tua, however, having been applied by Linnaeus to one of the tribes 

 in Entomology, ought not perhaps to be adopted ; that of Athene, pro- 

 posed by M. Boje, and employed by some German naturalists, may 

 be used in its stead. 



" Four species of this genus are now on the table, the two largest 

 of which are new to science. For the largest I would propose the 

 name of Athene strenua, and for the other that of A.fortis. The third 

 has been characterised by Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield as the Noc- 

 tua Boobook, and the Noctua maculata of these gentlemen seems to 

 be identical with it. For the fourth and last species of the genus, 

 which is from Van Diemen's Land, and which is evidently distinct 

 from either, I propose the name oileucopsis, from the white colouring 

 of its face. The species of the genus Strix which I have called de- 

 licatus, together with my Strix cy clops and Strix castanops and the 

 Strix personata of Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield, may be said to be 

 closely allied, but distinct species. 



" In conclusion, it maybe remarked that the birds belonging to the 

 Raptorial Order inhabiting Australia and the adjacent islands are 

 extremely few in number, when compared with those found in other 

 countries ; at the same time, as our knowledge of this part of the 

 world is very limited, the number will in all probability be consider- 

 ably increased as these countries become more fully known to us. 



" At present the species are twenty-six in number, and are distri- 

 buted as follows. 



1 True Eagle .... Aquila. 

 4 Sea Eagles .... Haliaetus. 



