50 Mr. D. G. Elliot on Nyctale Kirtlandi. 



collection of European Birds, and one procured in North Ame- 

 rica, from Mr. Dresser's private collection — between which there 

 is no appreciable difference whatever, either as regards colour or 

 markings, which, as every ornithologist knows, is very rarely 

 found among specimens of so variable a family as the Strigidse, 

 particularly among the smaller species. As I am not aware 

 that the young of Nyctale tengmalmi (as I propose to call all those 

 heretofore known under this name and that of richardsoni) in 

 its various stages has ever been especially described, I have 

 thought it might perhaps be useful to ornithologists to give a 

 full description of these most interesting specimens committed to 

 my charge, and to add a list of the synonyms which will properly 

 belong to the species. 



Nyctale tengmalmi. 



Strix tengmalmi, Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 291 (1788); Lath. 

 Ind. Orn. p. 64. sp. 42 ; Swain. & Rich. Faun. Bor.-Amer. 

 (Birds), pi. 32, p. 94; Aud. Orn. Biog. vol. iv. pi. 509; Id. 

 B. of Amer. pi. 380. figs. 1 & 2 ; Id. B. A. 8vo ed. vol. i. pi. 32 ; 

 Temm. Man. d'Ornith. vol. i. p. 94; Naum. Vog. Deutsch. 

 vol. i. 



Noctua tengmalmi, Yarr. Brit. Birds, vol. i.p. 146 ; Selby, Brit. 

 Orn. vol. i. p. 105 ; Gould, B. of Eur. vol. i. pi. 49. 



Syrnium tengmalmi, Eyton, Rare Brit. Birds, p. 90, 



Strix albifrons, Shaw, Nat. Misc. vol. v. pi. 171. 



Nyctale albifrons, Cassin, Birds of Calif, p. 187 ; Baird, B. 

 Amer. p. 57 ; Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat, Scien. (1866) p. 50, 



Nyctale richardsoni, Bonap. Comp. List (1838), p. 7 ; Baird, 

 B. Amer. p. 57; Cassin, Birds of Calif, p. 185. sp. 1. 



Nyctale kirtlandi. Hoy, Proc. Acad. Scien. Phil. (1852) p. 

 210 ; Cassin, Birds of Calif, p. 63. 



Nyctala tengmalmi, Newton, 4th edit. Yarr. Brit. Birds, p. 154. 



Adult Male. — Upper part of head, and entire upper parts, 

 umber-brown, rather thickly spotted with white on the 

 head ; the spots fewer but larger on the nape, wing-coverts, 

 and secondaries ; primaries same as back, spotted on both webs 

 with white, the spots on the inner webs being largest ; tail also 

 umber-brown, both webs having four white spots equidistant 



