PEOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 3G9 



an interesting pair on account of their locality, but tliey cannot be sepa- 

 rated as a species. Tliey are rather small, and have a very dushy frontal 

 IKitcb ; this I have found in other Asiatic specimens, and therefore the 

 Sandwich Island Owl can only be considered a small race of A. accipi- 

 irinus.''- 



The United States National Museum possesses a single specimen (No. 

 13890, T. R. Peale) of the Short-eared Owl from the Sandwich Islands, 

 and this one can be exactly matched, both in coloration and dimensions, 

 by American specimens, while many of the latter are smaller than the 

 two Honolulu examples the measurements of which are given by Mr. 

 Sharpe. Thus it seems that the Sandwich Island bird can be in no 

 way separated from the common and widely distributed A. accipitrinus: 



As to the difference in coloration said by Mr. Shari)e to distinguish 

 the sexes in this species, I cannot substantiate it with regard to the 

 si^ecimens in the United States National ]\Iuseum, if the determina- 

 tions of collectors are to be relied upon. Two specimens from China, 

 represent nearly the extremes of coloration, yet the lighter colored one 

 is the female, the darker one the male (according to the labels) 5 one of 

 the lightest colored of North American specimens is marked as a female, 

 while many dark colored specimens are determined as males. Neither 

 can I agree with Mr. Sharpe in his opinion that the dark bar or spot 

 sometimes found on the basal portion of the iuDcr web of the outer pri- 

 mary is a ''tolerably good indication of an adult bird," but from an ex- 

 amination of many specimens am inclined to regard it as merely an 

 individual peculiarity, having no reference to either age or sex. As to 

 the very marked variation in the depth of the ochraceous coloring (some 

 specimens being deeply tawny and others nearly white beneath), it ap- 

 l^ears to me that the two extremes, instead of being sexual, are merely 

 analogous to the normal and erythrismal phases of other Owls, there 

 being every gradation in different specimens between the two extremes 

 of coloration. 



Below are given the principal synonyms and references pertaining to 

 A. acciintrinus and it's allies. 



1. ASIO ACCIPITRINUS (Pall.) Newton. 



[IShort-eared Owl.) 



Xoctua major Briss. Om. i, 1760, 511 (excl. syn. pt.). (Le Grande Chouette.) 

 Strix accipitrina Pall. Reise Russ. Reichs. i. 1771-'7(), 455. 



Ash accipUrimis 'Newt, ed Yarrell's Brit. B. i, 1872, 163. — Sharpe, Cat. Stnges 



Brit. Mus. 1875, 234 (excl. sj'n. gahqmyoensis GonW.) — RiDGW. Nom. N. 



Am. B. 1881, 30, No. 396. 

 Brachyotus accipitrinus Gurney Ibis, 1872, 328 (Formosa). 

 Noctua minor S. G. Gmel. N. Comm. Petrop. xv, 1771, 447, pi. 12. 

 Strij; arctica Sparrm. Mus. Carls. 1786-'89, pi. 51.— Daud. Tr. Orn. ii, 1800, 197. 

 Strlr: brachyotus J. R. FoRST. Phil. Trans. Ixii, 1772, 384 (Severn R., Arctic, Am. !). — 



Gmel. S. N. i, pt. 1, 1788, 289.— Wils. Am. Orn. iv, 1812, 64, pi. 33, nj?. 3.— 



Naum. Vog. Deutschl. i, 1820, 4C9, pi. 45, fig. 1 {''hrachyotoi>"). — Nutt. 



Proc. Nat. Mus. 81 24 April 6, 1883. 



