PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 7 



301 rt. Picoides tridactylus (lorsalis (Baird) B. B. & R. 



314. Golapfes AURATUS mexicanm (Sw.). 



The above combination becomes absolutely necessary in view of the 

 indisputable and wholesale intergradation of the auratus and mexicanus 

 types of this species. In the present case is afforded an excellent ex- 

 ample of the difidculties in the way of consistent nomenclature, whether 

 binomial or trinomial. 



31G. AI.VGO Jiammeus pratincola (Bonap.) Ridgw. — Professor Xew- 

 ton has, we think, clearly demonstrated* that the jiroper ty])e of the Lin- 

 usean genus Strix is not S. Jlammea, but S. Htridnla^ subsequently made 

 the type of Savigny's genus Syrnium; and that Aluco, Fleming (1828), 

 should stand as the generic name of the Barn Owls. Audubon's name, 

 '•'■ americana'''' (1839), for the American Barn Owl is antedated by^ra^ 

 incola, Bonap. (1838), which should, in consequence, stand as the sub- 

 specific name for this form. 



318 &. Scops asio maccalli (Cass.) Coues. — In the "Proceedings of 

 the U. S. Nat. Mus." for 1878 (Vol. I, pp. 109-111), I formally referred the 

 "Scops asio var. enano^^ of Lawrence to S. maccalli, Cassin, and in a 

 foot-note on p. Ill refer Mr. Sennett's specimens to the latter. This fact, 

 however, seems to have been overlooked by both Dr. Coues and Mr. 

 Sennett, who, in their last paper, continue to call the variety "(Sf. asio 

 enano.''''] 



320. Asio wilsonianus (Less.). — Brisson's genus Asio appears to be un- 

 questionably that which should be applied to the long-eared owls, and 

 has long since been adopted by some authorities. Admitting that the 

 short-eared species {Strix accipitrina, Pall.) cannot be separated generi- 

 cally, it would have to be called — 



321. Asio accipitrinus (Pall.) Xewton. 



323. Strix nebulosa, Forst. — Professor Newton's very correct conclu- 

 sion that the proper type of the Linnsean genus Strix is the S. stridiila, 

 necessitates the above change in the generic name of this American 

 congener of that species. 



The Floridan birds of S. nebulosa I find to be so different from north- 

 ern examples as to well merit subspecitic separation. In his memorable 

 work on the birds of East Florida (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., I, p. 340) Mr. 

 Allen refers to the uuich darker color of Floridan specimens, but appar- 

 ently overlooks the naked toes. It is with pleasure that I dedicate this 

 race to one who has done such eminent service not only to the orni- 

 thology of Florida, but to the science in general. 



* Cf. Yarrell's Brit. Birds, ed. 4, vol. i, p. 150, and The Ibis, ser. iii, vol. vi, pp. 94-105. 



f Since these pages were put iu type, I have discovered that the name stands aa 

 above given in the "Check List." The notice of the species here was therefore an 

 oversight. 



