94 Prof. Newtoa on the Assignatioii 



This bird, Severtzoff states, belongs to the same group as 

 Parus palustris, P. borealis, P. cinctus, and P. lugubris, but 

 differs from the last two as much as from P. palustris. The 

 crown, nape, and hind neck are black, this colour extending 

 to the centre of the back ; throat black, the feathers edged 

 with brownish wiiite in autumn ; cheeks dirty white, tinged 

 with greyish brown; back, rump, shoulders, lower throat, 

 breast, abdomen, and flanks, as well as the under tail-coverts, 

 brownish, darkest on the shoulders, and lightest, almost white, 

 near the black patch on the throat ; w ing-coverts and the 

 three innermost secondaries dark brownish grey, with broad 

 light edges, the remaining quills and the rectrices blackish 

 brown ; bill black, with greyish brown end and margins ; 

 legs dark bluish lead. First primary short, 4 = 5>6>7>3 

 >8>9>2>10,or4 = 5 = 6>7>3>8>9>10>2;the4thand 

 5th rectrices longest, the central ones being 1"' shorter, and 

 the outer ones 2'" shorter. Total length 5" 6'", extent 9", 

 wing 2" 8'", tail 2" 5'", tarsus 7\"', middle toe 4i"', hind claw 

 3'", culmen 41"'. 



It inhabits the fir-forests on the Thian-shan range. 



179. Panurus biarmicus (L.). 



Panurus barbatus, Severtzoff, p. QQ. 



Horizontal range. Resident in districts I,, II., and III. 



Vertical range. Hesident in districts 1 and 2. 



[To be continued.] 



XL — On the Assignation of a Type to Linnaean Genera, with 

 especial reference to the Genus Strix. By Alfred Newton, 

 M.A., F.R.S., &c. 



That some of my brethren should demur to the opinion I 

 expressed a few years ago (Yarrell, British Birds, ed. 4, vol. i. 

 p. 150) as to the species which ought properly to be con- 

 sidered the type of the Linnaean genus Strix, was a thing 

 fully expected by me ; indeed I had anticipated a stronger 

 resistance than any which my views have hitherto encoun- 

 tered. So far as I am aware, the only opposition offered 

 thereto lies in the comparatively mild protest of the editor of 



