Nomenclature of the British Owls. 351 



tified in superseding "Athene" in favour of the more recently- 

 proposed '^ Carine." 



The names, therefore, wliich in my opinion ought to be 

 used for the ten commonly recognized ^^ British Owls" are 

 as follows : — 



Strix flammea, Linn. Barn-Owl. 



Asio otiis (Linn.) . Long-eared Owl. 



Asia brachijotus (J. R. Forst.). Short-eared Owl. 



Syrnium aluco (Linn.). Tawny Owl. 



Nyctala tengmabni (Gm.). Tengmalm's Owl. 



Nyctea scandiaca (Linn.). Snowy Owl. 



Bubo maximus, Fleming. Eagle Owl. 



Scops giu (Scop.) . Scops Owl. 



Athene noctua (Scop.). Little Owl. 



Surnia funerea (Linn.). American Hawk Owl. 



I will now say a very few words upon the principal divisions 

 of the Order Striges. 



In treating of the British Owls in the first volume of his 

 edition of ' Yarrell/ Prof. Newton has spoken of the " scheme 

 of classification -"^ of these birds prepared by Mr. Salvin and 

 myself when we were engaged on a projected paper on the 

 Owls of the New World some years ago. As this paper has 

 never been completed, and may now probably never appear — 

 at any rate in the shape originally contemplated — I think it 

 may be of interest, as Prof. Newton and Mr. Sharped have 

 both followed the general plan then propounded, to give the 

 original classification which we drew up, and upon which the 

 American species were subsequently arranged in our ' No- 

 menclator.^ 



Order STRIGES. 

 I. Sterni crista dilalata et ad furculam summam attingente ; 



fissuris sterni posticis nullis Strigidje. 



n. Sterni crista angustti, nee summam furculam attingente ; 



fissuris sterni utrinque duabus Asionid^. 



Cf. Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 289, and P. Z. S. 1879, p. 175. 



