15. Asio. 225 



A male from Socorro Island (Colonel A. J. Graj'son) is less adult 

 than the preceding. The upper plumage is more brownish and 

 more mottled ; the rufous spots, though deeper and larger, are less 

 sharply defined ; the spots on the primaries arc all ochraceous ; the 

 bands on the tail are broader though of the same number. Beneath 

 the longitudinal blotches do not appear ; but the rusty rufous covers 

 nearly the whole surface, leaving the median portion only white, and 

 this not well defined ; the rust)" shows ragged minute transverse bars 

 of blackish. The whitish collar round the nape is also better defined 

 than in the type. Total length 5-20 inches, wing 4-20, tail 2-10. 



Another specimen, from the same locality, also apparently imma- 

 ture, is just like the preceding in plumage. It measures — wing 4 

 inches, tail 1-90. (Id. I. c.) 



Hah. The same as that of the genus. 



Subfam. II. SYRNIINiE. 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Feathered tufts on head very distinct ; cere mucli 



longer than culmen 15. Asio, p. 225. 



h. No tufts of feathers on head ; cere not so long as 



culmen. 



a'. Bouy shell of ear-conch the same on both sides 



of the skull ; toes sometimes thickly feathered 



or at least with hair-like bristles, sometimes 



entirely bare 16. Stjrnium, p. 244. 



v. Bony shell of ear-conch entirely asymmetrical ; 



toes thickly feathered ....'...' 17. Nyctala, p. 284. 



15. ASIO. Type. 



Asio, Briss. Orn. i. p. 28 (1766) A. otus. 



Otus, Cuvier, Lemons Anat. Cump. tabl. ii. (1799) A. otus. 



Bubo, Dumeril, Zool. Anal. p. 34 (1806) A. otus. 



Nyctalops, Waglei; Ms, 1832, p. 1221 A. stygius. 



Brachyotus, Gmdd, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 10 A. galapa^ensis. 



Pseudoscops, Kaiip, Isis, 1848, p. 769 A. grammicus. 



Phasmoptynx, Kaup, Isis, 1848, p. 769 A. capensis. 



Rhinoptynx, Kemp, Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 114. . A. mexicanus. 

 Nisuella, Bp. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 542 A. madagascariensis. 

 Cf Sharpe, Ibis, 1875. p. 324. 



\J^ 



loot of -4.«o otim. 



