Letters, Announcements, ^c. S77 



XXXVIII. — Letters, Announcements, &^c. 



We have received the following letters addressed to the 

 Editors of ' The Ibis :'-- 



Sirs, — I have been always puzzled by the name of Strix 

 flammea, given by Linnaeus to the Barn- Owl, as I could 

 never understand why a bird which has not the slightest sign 

 of the flame-colour should have been caWed flammea. Quite 

 lately, looking into Gesner^s celebrated work ' De Avibus/ I 

 have found what I think may be the explanation of how it 

 was that Linnseus used that name, which really is very inap- 

 propriate when we take it to mean the colour of flame, as 

 Mr, Wharton has done in the ' Ibis ' List of British Birds 

 (p. 85). 



Gesner, in the above-mentioned work, treating of the Barn- 

 Owl, "De altero genere Ululae, quod quidam flammeatum 

 cognominant," after having given a figure of it, wrote as 

 follows: — "Figura haec est generis cujusdam ululae, quod 

 Germani circa Argentoratum vocant Schleyereul, id est 

 JJlulam flammeatam, quod nescio quomodo plumis circa 

 faciem mulieris peplo sen flammeo obvolutse caput et faciem 

 referat.^^ 



From this it appears to me very probable that Linneeus 

 wrote flammea instead of flammeata, thinking that flammea 

 could be used like flammeata, to mean enveloped in a veil ; 

 and if I am right, flammea, in Linnseus^s mind, was not con- 

 nected with flamma = flame, but with flammeum or flameum, 

 the nuptial veil, which was of a crocus or yellow colour. 



Yours, &c., 



T. Salvadori. 



Turin, Zoological Museum, May 5th, 1886. 



Sirs, — I have the pleasure of informing you that Dr. 

 Julius von Madarasz, of Budapest, and I have the intention 

 of publishing a monograph of the Pipridse, with coloured 

 plates from the pencil of Ilerr von Madarasz, representing 

 all the known species. 



SBR. V, VOL. IV. 2 D 



