304 OTUS VULGARIS VAR. WILSONIANUS 



e. enano. 



(?) Scops maccaim, Scl., P. Z. S. 1858, 2m (Oaxaca).— Sci.., Ibis, 1859, 220 (Guatemala). 

 Scojhs asio var. enano, Lawk., MSS.— B. B. & R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 48. 



Hab. — North America at large. Var. Icennicottii is the large, daik, northern form, from 

 Alaska, &c. Var. maccalUi is a small, pale, southern form, fi-om the south-western bor- 

 der and southward. Var. floridanus, from Georgia, Florida (and Cuba ?). Var. enano, 

 from Mexico and Guatemala.* 



This little Owl does not appear to have been noticed by either of the 

 Expeditions, as we find uo specimens in the collection. It inhabits, 

 however, the wooded tracts of the Missouri region, and is abundant in 

 some parts, as in Kansas. 



Without going into the history of the long controversy respecting the 

 "Red" and "Mottled" Owls — which would involve scores of quota- 

 tions t — it will be sufficient to state, that not only are these two birds 

 identical, as indeed has been admitted by most observers since Wilson, 

 but that, moreover, the i^lumages are purely fortuitous, and character- 

 istic of neither sex, age, nor season. The same rufesceut phase occurs 

 in other species of Owls — notably, among ours, in the little Glaucidium 

 ferrugineum, which I recently introduced to our fauna (Key, 200) — and 

 is apparently analogous to the melanotic condition of many Hawks. 



OTUS VULGARIS var. WILSONIANUS, (Less.) Allen. 

 American Long-earedOwl. 



a. vulgaris. 



Strix oUis, Linn., Syst. .Nat. i, 1766, 132 ; aud of early authors generally. 



Bubo otns, Savig., Descr. Egypte, i, 109. 



Asia otus, Less., Man. Oru. i, 116. 



Ulida otus, Macgil., Rap. B. Br. 403. 



JSpolius otus, Keys & Blas., Wirb. Eur. 1840, 32. 



" Otus solonicnsis, Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 203" (Gray). 



" Otus ulbicollis et italicus, Daud., Tr. Orn. ii, 213" (Strickland). 



Otus sijlvestris, arboreus et gracilis, Bkehm, V. D. i, 121, 122, 123. 



Otus vul(jnris, Flem., Brit. An. 56 ; and of many authors. 



Otus curopa;us, Steph., Gen. Zool. xiii, pt. ii, 1826, 57. 



Otus communis. Less., Tr. Oru. 1831, llo. 



Otus aurita, Mont., Oru. Diet. ed. Rennie, 262. 



Otiis asio, Leach, Syst. Cat. 1816, 11. 



b. wilsonianus. 



(?) strix americana, Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 288. 



Otus americatius, Bp., Comp. List, 1838, 7 ; Consp. i, 18.')0, 50.— Kaup, Men. Stng. Cont. 



Orn. 18.52, 113 ; Tr. Z. S. iv, 1859, 233.— Maxim., J. f. O. vi, 1858, 25.— Allen, 



Pr. Ess. Inst, iv, 1864, 51. 

 Strix percgrinator Bartr., Trav. in Fla. 1791, 289. 

 Asio per egrinator, Strickl., Oru. Syn. 1855, 207. 

 Strix otus, WiLS., vi, 1812, 73, pi. ol, f. 3.— Bp., Syn. 1828, 37.— Nutt., Man. i, 1832, 130.— 



Aud., Orn. Biog. iv, 1835, 573, pi. 83.— Pear., Rep. Orn. Mass. 1839, 68. 

 Strix (Asio) otus, S\v. & Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 72. 

 Vhila otus, Jam., ed. Wils. i, 104. 



* Another small species of Sco^is, occurring over our southern border, is the following : 

 Scops flammeola, Liclit. 



Scops flammeola, Licht., Nomen. Mus. Berol. 7.— Kaup, Monog. Tr. Z. S. iv, 1859, 226.— 



SCHL., M. P.-B. Oti, p. 27.— Scl., P. Z. S. 1858, 96.— Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1868, 



57 ; Exot. Orn. vi, 1868, 99, pi. 50.— Elliot, B. N. A. i, pi. 28.— Coop., B. Cal. i, 



1870, 422.— Coues, Key, 1872, 203.— B. B. & R., N. A. B, iii, 1874, 58. 



It was found breeding at Fort Crook, California, by the lato Captain John Feilner, 



United States Army. 



t Those who wish to examine the subject may refer to the following among other 

 articles : Bp., Journ. Phila. Acad, iii, 1824, 357.— Michner, ibid, vii, 1834, .53.— Hoy, Pr. 

 Phila. Acad, vi, 1853, 306; aud Trans. Wise. Agric. Soc. ii (1852), 1853, 344.— Cabot, 

 Journ. Bost, Soc. ii, 1838, 126.— Allen, Am. Nat. ii, 1S68, 327 ; Bull. M. C. Z. ii, 1871, 338. 



