108 A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



occasionally in many counties but doubtfully regularly anpvhere 

 south of Lanes, and Yorks. Northwards and throughout Scotland 

 nests locally and sparingly, but in Shetlands rarefy and in I. Hebrides 

 infrequently. Xot known to nest in Ireland. As \dnter-visitor 

 fairly generally distributed, and both as breeder and migrant 

 numbers fluctuate considerably, and are greatly augmented in years 

 of vole-plagne, e.g. 1874-6 and 1891-3 in south Scotland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — ^Nearly cosmopolitan, but absent in 

 Europe as a breeding-species from Spain. If no other races can be 

 separated (which is by no means settled) certainly that inhabiting 

 Hawaii is different, but Russian authors separate also a pale Asiatic 

 form. 



OTUS SCOPS* 



226. Otus scops scops (L.)— THE SCOPS-OWL. 



Strix Scops Linna?vi3, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 92 (1758 — Europe. Re- 

 stricted typical locality : Italy). 

 Scops gill (Scopoli), Yarrell, i, p. 173 ; Saunders, p. 307. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Rare vagrant. England. — Cornwall 

 (2), Wilts., Hants. (4), Kent (4 or 5), Berks., Bucks., Middlesex, 

 Essex, Norfolk (5), Xorthants., Yorks. (about 5), Cheshire, Lanes., 

 Cumberland (2). TFo/e^.— Pembroke. Scotland.— File, Perth. (2), 

 Aberdeen (2), Sutherland, Orkneys, Shetlands (3). Ireland. — Nine 

 times. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe from south Germany to Mediter- 

 ranean, north Africa. Replaced by other races in Cyprus, parts of 

 Asia and Africa. Palaearctic forms and their distribution not yet 

 sufficiently known. 



TYTO ALBAf 



227. Tyto alba alba (Scop.)— THE WHITE-BREASTED 



BARN-OWL. 



Strix alba Scopoli, Annas i, Historico-Xatiu-., p. 21 (1769 — Friuli, 

 in N. Italy). 



Aluco flammeus (Linnaeus) (nee Pontoppidan), Yarrell, i, p. 194 (part) ; 

 Strix flammea Linnaeus (nee Pontoppidan), Saimders, p. 291 (part). 



* The generic name Otus Pennant, 1769, antedates Scops of Savigny. 



t It has already been explained, under the Short-eared Owl, that the name 

 Strix flammea belongs to the latter, and cannot be used for the Barn-Owl. 

 The fu-st name of the latter is Strix alba Scopoh 1769. — The type of the 

 generic Strix is, by tautonomy, Strix strix, the Brown Owl, and the first generic 

 term for the Bam-0%vl is Tyto, Billberg, 1828.— E.H. 



