1899.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 303 



Speotyto cunicularia tolimae sub. sp. nov. 



Five specimens secured May 27, 1889, ou the Plain of Tolima, 

 where they were breeding and had eggs at this date. 



Type No. 35,239, CoU. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 9. March 27, 

 1889. 



Smaller and darker than any of the other forms of Speotyto with 

 less white above, approaching nearest to *S'. hrackyptera Richm., 

 from Margarita Island, Venezuela, General ground color above 

 dark Front's brown to almost sepia, spots on margins of remiges 

 mainly buff, on coverts and scapulars white. Forehead and throat 

 pure white. Five narrow buff bands on the tail and narrow buflf 

 tips to the feathers. The bars on the abdomen are somewhat 

 broken and irregular, and are dark brown edged narrowly with 

 cinnamon. Length of wing, 6 ins. 



There seem to be at least five races of Burrowing Owls in South 

 America as follows : 



1. S. cunicularia (Molina). 

 (Type locality, Chile). 



Distributed over the southern part of the continent from Chile 

 and Uruguay southward. It differs from all the more northern 

 forms in ils larger size, and in the large amount of white on the 

 outer tail feathers. In these the ground color is white with rather 

 narrow brown cross bars. S. patagoniea Peale and S. vriicurea 

 Lesson, I take to be synonyms of this form. 



All the more northern birds that I have seen are smaller and 

 darker, with the ground color of the outer tail feathei-s brown, 

 marked with white spots on the sides. These spots are sometimes 

 nearly confluent into bands, but the white never surj^asses the brown 

 in extent as in S. cunicularia. 



2. S. c. grallaria (Spix). 

 (Type loc, Para, Brazil). 



Apparently agrees with the characters just given — thus differ- 

 ing from cunicularia. I have been unable to examine S23eci- 

 mens of the Brazilian bird and am forced I0 rely upon descrip- 

 tions, so that I am unable to show in what respects this differs 

 from the following. From its geograpical range it is almost 

 certainly distinct. 



